You and Your Profile: Identity After Authenticity
By Hans-Georg Moeller and Paul J. D’Ambrosio
About:
More and more, we present ourselves and encounter others through profiles. A profile shows us not as we are seen directly but how we are perceived by a broader public. As we observe how others observe us, we calibrate our self-presentation accordingly. Profile-based identity is evident everywhere from pop culture to politics, marketing to morality. But all too often critics simply denounce this alleged superficiality in defense of some supposedly pure ideal of authentic or sincere expression.
This book argues that the profile marks an epochal shift in our concept of identity and demonstrates why that matters. You and Your Profile blends social theory, philosophy, and cultural critique to unfold an exploration of the way we have come to experience the world.
Reviews:
“You and Your Profile is a truly wonderful book that provides a penetrating exploration of today’s conceptions of identity. This beautiful work offers powerful insights on the contemporary condition as well as a moving way to think about identity formation.”
-Michael Puett, coauthor of The Path: What Chinese Philosophers Can Teach Us About the Good Life
“There can be no doubt that questions of identity, authenticity, and character take on a completely new meaning in the digital age of social media. Moeller and D’Ambrosio’s startling book provides fascinating insights into the global fabrication of a new conception of the self.”
-Hartmut Rosa, author of Social Acceleration: A New Theory of Modernity