Read the quote below from Evgeny Morozov, and construct a personal response:
Furthermore, in the hands of Facebook, authenticity becomes just a rhetorical weapon that fuels user anxieties and results in even more data being uploaded to the site. When Sheryl Sandberg writes that Facebook profiles are now detailed self-portraits that express our authenticity identity she is also stating the obvious: that the only way to make such portraits even more authentic is by uploading and sharing even more details. But Facebook wouldnt be Facebook if it didnt stack the cards against users. Thus, its embrace of the ideology of frictionless sharing in which everything we do is automatically shared by default and we need to choose what not to sharenot only exposes our self-portrait for everyone to see but also results in other users discovering and perhaps even liking our favorite songs and books. But if there are other users who like the very same things that you do, then perhaps you are just a fakeso you need to discover and upload and share something unique. This is a vicious cycle, for no one ever achieves true authenticity on Facebook. Sandbergs dream of an authentic identity is just a clever marketing slogan.
You may wish to consider some of the following questions while crafting your response:
Is the online self inherently less authentic than the offline self?
How might the design of social networking platforms influence the way we build our communities onlineor even offline?
Is Facebooks commitment to frictionless sharing purely self-serving, or do individuals and communities truly benefit from sharing so many elements of their personal lives?
