Material Self/Economic Self

Introduction
We are living in world of sale and shopping spree. We are given a wide
array of products to purchase from a simple set of spoon and fork to
owning a restaurant. Almost everywhere, including the digital space,
we can find promotions of product purchase. Product advertisement
are suggestive of making us feel better or look good. Pat of us wants to
have that product. What makes us want to have those products are
connected with who we are. What we want to have and already
possess is related to our self.
Introduction
Belk (1988) stated that “we regard our possessions as parts of our
selves. We are what we have and what we possess.” There is a direct
link between self-identity with what we have and possess. Your
wanting to have and possess has a connection with another aspect of
the self, the material self.
Material Self
A Harvard psychologist in the late nineteenth century, William James,
wrote in his book, The Principles of Psychology in 1890 that
understanding the self can be examined through its different
components. He described these components as: (1) its constituents;
(2) the feelings and emotions they arouse – self-feelings; (3) the actions
to which they prompt – self-seeking and self-preservation. The
constituents of self are composed of the material self, the social self,
the spiritual self, and the pure ego (Trentmann 2016; Green 1997).
Material Self
The material self, according to James primarily is about our bodies,
clothes, immediate family, and home. We are deeply affected by these
things because we have put much investment of our self to them.
The innermost part of our materials self is our body. Intentionally, we
are investing in our body. We are directly attached to this commodity
that we cannot lie without. We strive hard to make sure that this body
functions well and good. Any ailment or disorder directly affect us. We
do have certain preferential attachment or intimate closeness to
certain body parts because of its value to us.
Material Self
There were people who get their certain body parts insured. Celebrities, like
Mariah Carey who was reported to have placed a huge amount for the
insurance of her vocals cords and legs (Sukman 2016).

Next to our body are the clothes we use. Influenced by the “Philosophy of
Dress” by Herman Lotze, James believed that clothing is an essential part of
the material self. Lotze on his book, Microcosmus, stipulates that ‘any time
we bring an object into the surface of our body, we invest that object into
the consciousness of our personal existence taking in its contours to be our
own and making it part of the self.” (Watson 2014). The fabric and style of
the clothes we wear bring sensations to the body which directly affect our
attitudes and behavior. Thus, clothes ae placed in the second hierarchy of
material self. Clothing is a form of self-expression. We choose and wear
clothes that reflect our self (Watson 2014).
Material Self
Third in the hierarchy is our immediate family. Our parents and siblings
hold another great important part of our self. What they do or become
affects us. When an immediate family member dies, part of our self
dies, too. When their lives are in success, we feel their victories as if we
are the holding the trophy. In their failures, we are put to shame or
guilt. When they are in advantage situation, there is an urgent urge to
help like a voluntary instinct of saving one’s self from danger. We place
huge investment in our immediate family when we see them as he
nearest replica of our self.
Material Self
The fourth component of material self is our home. Home is where our heart
is. It is the earliest nest of our selfhood. Our experiences inside the home
were recorded and marked on particular parts and things in our home. There
was an old cliché about rooms: “if only walls can speak.” The home thus is an
extension of self, because in it, we can directly connect our self.
Having investment of self in things, made us attached to those things. The
more investment of self-given to the particular thing, the more we identify
ourselves to it. We also tend to collect and possess properties. The collection
in different degree of investment of self, becomes part of the self. As James
(1890) described self: a man’s self is the sum total of all what he CAN call
his.” Possessions then become a part or an extension of the self.
We Are What We Have
Russel Belk (1988) posits that “…we regard our possessions s part of
ourselves. We are what we have and what we possess.” The
identification of the self to things started in our infancy stage when we
make a distinction among self and environment and others who may
desire our possessions.
As we grow older, putting importance to material possession
decreases. However, material possession gins higher value in our
lifetime if we use material possession.to find happiness, associate these
things the significant events, accomplishments, and people in our lives.
There are even times, when material possession of a person is closely
identified to the person, gains acknowledgment with high regard even
if the person already passed away.
We Are What We Have
The possessions that we dearly have tell something about how we are,
our self-concept, our past, and even our future.
Digital Self
Introduction
These days, more people are becoming active in using the internet for
research, pleasure, business, communication, and other purposes.
Indeed, the internet is great help for everyone. On the other hand,
people assumes different identities while in the cyberspace. People act
differently when they are online and offline. We have our real identify
and online identity (Alata, et. al, 2018).
Introduction
The term online identity implies that there is distinction between how
people present themselves online and how they do offline. But any
split between online and offline identity is narrowing, for two reasons,
Firstly in contrast to Internet of the 1990s, people today use social
media, primarily to communicate with people they know in real life
contexts like home, work, and school. Secondly, wireless networking
and portable devices like smartphones and tablets make it easy to
access social media as part of day-today life, rather than having to
formally log on to the internet (Marwick, 2013).
Introduction
Nowadays, we are living in a digital age, wherein we interact with
people involving technology –cellular phones, computers and other
gadgets, thus building our DIGITAL SELF. What is your Digital self? How
do you represent yourself online? Through his module, you will
understand how online identity is established based on the information
you offer in technology-interactions.
Likewise, this will present the risk and dangers in posting too much of
your personal life or pretending you are somebody else in the social
media world. This module will also present what you can do to protect
your online personality that can affect your online personality.
Online Identity and Self in Cyberspace: (I, Me,
Myself, and My User ID Online Identity)
Online identity is the sum of your characteristics and interactions.
Because you interact differently with each website you visit, each of
those websites will have different picture of who you are and what you
do. Sometimes the different representations of you are referred to as
partial identities, because one of them has the full and true picture of
who you are.
Your online identity is not the same as your real-world identity because
the characteristics you represent online differ from the characteristics
you represent in the physical world. Every website you interact with has
its own idea of your identity because each one you visit sees you and
your characteristics differently (InternetSociety.org, 2011).
Online Identity and Self in Cyberspace: (I, Me,
Myself, and My User ID Online Identity)
Online, most research on identity focused on self-presentation (Boyd,
2010; Wynn & Katz, 1997; Papacharissi, 2002; Baym, 2010). Social
media lie social network sites, blogs, and online personals require users
to self-consciously create virtual deceptions of themselves. One way of
understanding such self-representation is the information and
materials people choose to show others on a Facebook profile or
Twitter stream. But identity is also expressed through interacting with
others, whether over instant messenger or email.
Online Identity and Self in Cyberspace: (I, Me,
Myself, and My User ID Online Identity)
How do you build your online identity?
Every website that you interact with will collect its own version of who
you are, based on the information that you have shared. Thus, it is up
to you how you will represent yourself as closely as who you are and
what you do in real life or selectively, to create a representation far
from your real life.
Selective Self-presentation and Impression
Management
These are characteristics showing behaviors designed to convey an
image about ourselves to other people and to influence the perception
of other people of this image. This explains why our behaviors can
change if we notice that we are being watched or observed. This elf-
presentation can also change depending on who we are interacting
with or what personal information we need to be providing to present
ourselves in a way that will be acceptable to others. Thus, we can select
only what we want to present and impress to others, what we view
beneficial to our personality, especially when we create a Digital self.
We carefully choose representation or expression of one’s real world to
the online world.
Impact of Online Interactions on the Self
With interacting with other people, we automatically make inferences
about them without even being consciously aware of it. We cannot
help but ponder what they are thinking about, what their facial
expressions mean, what their intentions are, and so on. This
predisposition is what makes social interactions so demanding. This
suggests that interaction with human partners requires more
emotional involvement, and thus more cognitive effort, than
interacting through a computer. The conclusion is clear - online
interaction does not require cognitive or emotional involvement,
making our interaction with it much easier (Rilling, Sanfrey, Aronson,
Nystrom, & Cohen, 2004).
Is it true that Facebook provides opportunities
for increased identity development? YES.
Research suggests that young users report increased self-esteem and
general wellbeing following instances of positive feedback on social
networking sites (Valkenburg, Peter, & Schouten, 2006). Relatively,
results from a 2009 survey of college students indicated that the
heaviest Facebook users were also most satisfied with their lives and
exhibited greater social and political engagement (Valenzuela, Park, &
Kee, 2009).
However, online interactions cannot reveal our true
feelings and can decrease people’s happiness levels.
The extra effort involved in face-to-face interactions can be spared in
online interactions that are founded on minimal or constrained social
cues; most of these signals can be summed up in emoticons and
punctuation. Hence, it is easier to hide our emotions behind an email, a
Facebook post or a tweet. Studies were conducted to show that within
the first two years after people first accessed the internet, their
happiness level decreased (Kraut, 1998) and that social media has a
small, yet significant detriment on overall well-being. This is because
browsing social media sites alone can lead to feelings of jealousy when
we compare self to the online personal of others.
We can control our self-presentations on online
interactions and this may be both beneficial and
harmful to the individual.
Compared with face-to-face presentation online interactions enable us
to self-censor to a greater extent and manage our online identities
more strategically which provides greater opportunity to misrepresent
ourselves.
This is due to asynchronous communication (time-delayed interaction
that does not require participants to be online simultaneously).
Positive Impact of Social Media and Online
Interaction on the Self.
• Social media sites inform and empower individuals to change
themselves and their communities
• Increased self-esteem when receiving many likes ad shares.
• Boost one’s moral and feelings of self-worth (Toma, 2010 Social
Media & Identity, 2013)
Negative Impact of Social Media and Online
Interaction on the Self.
• Extensive online engagement is correlated with personality and brain
disorders like poor social skills. ADHD, narcissistic tendencies, a need
for instant gratification, and addictive behaviors and other emotional
distress like depression, anxiety, and loneliness.
• Low self-esteem due to the risk of being exposed to cyberbullying and
cyber pornography (healthxph.net-2015).
• More occupied in giving attention to social media than in keeping
their customs and practices (phblogspot 2013).
Extended Self in a Digital World – Russel W.
Belk.
A glimpse on the ideas of Russel W. Belk on his “Extended Self in a
Digital World” could give more light on the topic. Belk presents five
changes emerging from our current digital age:
1. Dematerialization. Things are disappearing right before our eyes –
our information, communications, photos, videos music, calculations,
messages, “written” words are now largely invisible and immaterial,
composed of electronic streams stored in digital storage devices on
locations we will never know. The question is; can we gain status or an
enhanced sense of self from virtual possessions?” Belk proposes four
functions of virtual consumption;
Extended Self in a Digital World – Russel W.
Belk.
1. Dematerialization.
• stimulates consumer desire for both material and virtual goods
• actualizes possible daydreams such as those of wealth and status by
enacting them in video games
• actualizes impossible fantasies such as being a magician or space pirate
with magical objects
• facilitates experimentation such as being a criminal in a video game.
Reports show that virtual goods are now some of the most valued
commodities for cybercriminals who attempt to hack into games and steal
virtual possessions to resell. Suicide may also result a stolen virtual or
digital possession.
Extended Self in a Digital World – Russel W.
Belk.
2. Re-embodiment. This is characterized as the breakout f the visual
online, leading to new “constructions” and definitions of the self in the
virtual world where online games blogs, web pages, photo and video-
sharing sites, internet dating sites are possible; we are disembodied
and re-embodied as avatars, sharing identity with the chosen avatar
virtually.
Extended Self in a Digital World – Russel W.
Belk.
3. Sharing. Uploading, downloading, sharing, etc. provide free access to
information through web surfing. How does sharing of possessions
online enhance our individual and aggregate sense of self?
In Facebook, social media friends know more than the immediate
families about our daily activities, connections, and thoughts. Diaries
that were once private shared only with close friends are now posted
as blogs for everyone to read. There is loss of control due to sharing –
uncontrolled sharing of information by online participants or friends;
restrictions are not observed.
Extended Self in a Digital World – Russel W.
Belk.
4. Co-construction of Self
Our digital involvement is social in nature. Our blogs invite comments,
social interaction which help construct our individual and joint
extended self of self as the new version of Cooley’s “looking Glass Self
theory” known as collaborative self. What are the effects of this?
Seeking affirmation is obviously identified. Friends also help to co-
construct and reaffirm each other’s sense of self through the postings,
tagging and comments
Extended Self in a Digital World – Russel W.
Belk.
Distributed Memory.
In a digital world, there is a new set of devices and technologies for
recording and archiving our memories. The dilemma is seen in the
narrative of the self. Our identity is not to be found in behavior nor in
the reaction of others, but the capacity to keep a particular study about
the self. Photos posted in the online world may not be accurate in
giving memories of the past since the photos, blogs, etc. may just be
selected representations of happy times hence, may not be sufficient
to tell the stories.
Extended Self in a Digital World – Russel W.
Belk.
Distributed Memory.
Here is the summary of changes in digital self. With the proliferation of
multiple online personas, the sore of the self idea crumbles in the
digital world, the self is now extended into avatars, which can affect our
offline behavior and our sense of self, from a ore private to public
presentation of self which is now co-constructed that an help affirm or
modify our sense of self. It is highly recommended that we set
boundaries to our online self.
Boundaries of the Online Self: Private vs. Public;
Personal vs. Social identity Online; Gender and
Sexuality Online.
• Setting Boundaries to your Online Self:
• Stick to safer sites
• Guard your passwords
• Be choosy about your online friends
• Remember that anything you put online or post on a site is there
forever, even if you try to delete it.
• Don’t be mean or embarrass other people online
• Limit what you share.
END OF PRESENTATION
Prepared by:
TODD CODY S. AGUILARIO
GEC 1 Instructor