“The Embodiment of Identity”
An Analysis of the Cyborg Persona and its Effects on One’s Individual Authority as seen in the Works of Haley Mlotek and Steve Mann
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term “cyborg” primarily refers to “a being whose functions is enhanced by mechanical devices" (OED). This notion of technologically aided self-improvement is one that similarly, features in the articles, “You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine” (2014), by Haley Mlotek, and The Right to Think (2002), by Steve Mann. Notably, both authors examine the cyborg as a necessary persona for the enhancement of individual authority. They propose that the relationship between humans and the use of technology results in a greater ability to embody, or “express” …show more content…
Mann argues that large scale corporations dominate the physical space and so, negate individual thought by “harness(ing) our lives (and) adapt(ing) them to the needs of the consumer state” (Mann 215). Accordingly, this institutional influence reduces one’s personal agency or “consciousness,” by molding it to fit a collectively capitalist and societal image. In this way, Mann believes that an openly accessible Internet away from the reach of corporations is a “necessary response (and) the only way to protect ourselves” against their invasive commercial functions (Mann 215). By serving as a public domain, the Internet would be without a designated authority, so as to allow for the characteristics of the cyborg persona through ideas of “Mediated reality” in which the “user is able to customize” or self-improve, “his or her own (online) environment” (Mann 218). Specifically, the formation of this envisioned relationship to technology would aid in the embodiment of the user’s identity by granting them the ability to construct their own unique space. As Mann writes, “the computer (would) function as a true extension of the user’s mind and body” (Mann 218). But, this concept of a community built around accessibility also, contrastingly, creates the potential for a loss …show more content…
Both authors do this through a consideration of the cyborg as an essential persona for preserving or promoting one’s thoughts, environment, and image against society’s external pressures. For Mlotek, this translates into emulating the cyborg’s cultural association to rebellion, as well as their duality. Whereas, Mann’s interpretation forms through an active participation in moderating an ever-increasingly digital existence. He further proposes not only embracing the cyborg as a psyche, but actually combining one’s physical form with mechanical devices so as to literally become the definition of a cyborg as a “fusion of organic elements with machinery” (Mann 229) (buzzfeed.com). However, despite these differences in approach, both authors fundamentally share the perspective that the cyborg is a being that is imperative for the production of positive self-improvement to those who possess its traits (Mann 229). Thus, the cyborg persona is ultimately the most interesting portion of my Media Applications presentation because of the questions of identity it facilitates. Notably, if a robotic façade is what is required in-order to sustain the nature of who a person is in the Western world, then, is it truly as liberating as Mlotek and Mann suggest? Or, is a dependence on technology not equally as restricting
An Analysis of the Cyborg Persona and its Effects on One’s Individual Authority as seen in the Works of Haley Mlotek and Steve Mann
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term “cyborg” primarily refers to “a being whose functions is enhanced by mechanical devices" (OED). This notion of technologically aided self-improvement is one that similarly, features in the articles, “You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine” (2014), by Haley Mlotek, and The Right to Think (2002), by Steve Mann. Notably, both authors examine the cyborg as a necessary persona for the enhancement of individual authority. They propose that the relationship between humans and the use of technology results in a greater ability to embody, or “express” …show more content…
Mann argues that large scale corporations dominate the physical space and so, negate individual thought by “harness(ing) our lives (and) adapt(ing) them to the needs of the consumer state” (Mann 215). Accordingly, this institutional influence reduces one’s personal agency or “consciousness,” by molding it to fit a collectively capitalist and societal image. In this way, Mann believes that an openly accessible Internet away from the reach of corporations is a “necessary response (and) the only way to protect ourselves” against their invasive commercial functions (Mann 215). By serving as a public domain, the Internet would be without a designated authority, so as to allow for the characteristics of the cyborg persona through ideas of “Mediated reality” in which the “user is able to customize” or self-improve, “his or her own (online) environment” (Mann 218). Specifically, the formation of this envisioned relationship to technology would aid in the embodiment of the user’s identity by granting them the ability to construct their own unique space. As Mann writes, “the computer (would) function as a true extension of the user’s mind and body” (Mann 218). But, this concept of a community built around accessibility also, contrastingly, creates the potential for a loss …show more content…
Both authors do this through a consideration of the cyborg as an essential persona for preserving or promoting one’s thoughts, environment, and image against society’s external pressures. For Mlotek, this translates into emulating the cyborg’s cultural association to rebellion, as well as their duality. Whereas, Mann’s interpretation forms through an active participation in moderating an ever-increasingly digital existence. He further proposes not only embracing the cyborg as a psyche, but actually combining one’s physical form with mechanical devices so as to literally become the definition of a cyborg as a “fusion of organic elements with machinery” (Mann 229) (buzzfeed.com). However, despite these differences in approach, both authors fundamentally share the perspective that the cyborg is a being that is imperative for the production of positive self-improvement to those who possess its traits (Mann 229). Thus, the cyborg persona is ultimately the most interesting portion of my Media Applications presentation because of the questions of identity it facilitates. Notably, if a robotic façade is what is required in-order to sustain the nature of who a person is in the Western world, then, is it truly as liberating as Mlotek and Mann suggest? Or, is a dependence on technology not equally as restricting