Personhood, Selfhood, and Virtual Identity

Introduction

Computer ethics deal with placement of value on the acts while considering whether it is bad or good. Ion every society some factors are deemed to be ethical as well as those that are termed to be non-ethical. Consensus makes agreement to ensure that the moral rules are met. There are commandments of using a computer such as one should not harm other people using a computer as well as you should not use a computer to steal among others.

 Personhood

Through computing, it will be easy to understand the role of technology in the moral responsibility. The human activities currently cannot be explained without making reference to the technological aspects which have the ability to affect the moral liability of the people. The way people can be able to communicate and relate to each other can be determined by the personhood that is created by the technology. The technological artifacts are very paramount in shaping the character of the person in the global village. The human beings can be held responsible for the changes that are taking place in the technologies. The dangers that can be brought about the technological errors can be answered by the human beings. The technology as well is creating a different kind of people since they are turning into the machine like creatures. The people have developed a high reliance on the computers, and most their duties are surrounded by the computer actions. In addition to this, the technology creates unique individuals and determine the way they can make decisions as well as how ready they are to act. A technological personhood is established due to the advancement in the technological know-how. The process of automation can help to centralize and control the ability of the human beings to make decisions (Haynes 1999, 45). In addition to these, according to (Dennet & Humphrey 1991,150), it is vital to creating some useful fiction. In this case, the human character needs to modify to be something like the head of the mind and avoid being a ghost-like creature. An individual character should, therefore, be presentable to the whole world and himself as well others.

Selfhood

The internet age does not explicitly explain the nature of self in the web age. Social constructionism as used in technology helps to explain selfhood. Selfhood according to Stone and Poster is nothing natural, but it is composed of the traditional practices that are originating from the communicative acts. According to Stone, the body has a duty in the realm of techno-social in addition to the physical substrate. Due to technology, the body can no longer limit the subject’s position. Communications are there to extend the ability of the nervous system globally to the point that it can be able to unwrap the noosphere (Poster 1990, 15). Apart from the understanding of the self in the broad evolutionary and biological perspective there is need to recognize that our bodies are in connection to the self-identity due to the notions of individual character. Trust as well as the emotions are also in a position to determine an individual selfhood. According to (Dennet 1984, 90), the human beings are in a position to create themselves while developing better values while interacting with the computers. In this case, therefore there will be the need for the ordinary course of development to be able to create unity programs for narrative gravity.

Virtual identity

According to Howard communities that are computer-mediated can be able to change the practices of the individuals living within them.  As described by (Rheingold 1993, 147), it will be very hard for computerized communities to identify their identity. This is because the computers will create a lot of westernization and the people will be moving towards global connection and leaving behind their identity. The thoughts perceptions in addition to personalities of the individuals will be affected by computer-mediated communication.  MUDs describe the way the virtual communities affect the thoughts, psyche, and feelings of the people living within them. They are paramount to help in the identification of programs that encourage self-presentation flexibility. However, the MUD is the most disastrous of all virtual societies. Communication technologies have an impact the life of the human beings since they can saturate them with the lack of foundations, the creation of fragmentary self as well as the loss of authentic self-identity. The individuals will be able to experience to encounter infinite multiplicity. A unique social space will be created by the virtual age. In this case, the technology is currently observed as natural as well as being invisible. A technosocial community has been set up by an increase in the use of computers. This kind of new space created have been able to develop new identities among the human beings as well as presence and agency. There is a close connection between the virtual character and the computers networks not forgetting the cyberspace.

Conclusion

Computer ethics is part of the practical philosophy that is concerned with how the professionals using the computers make proper decisions of dignity and social conduct. Computers have been able to change how human beings interact with each other. Failure to observe the universal morality will make persons worst creatures due to westernization.

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