Abstract
With the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and the growing overlap between digital and analogue communities, individuals increasingly rely on digitally-mediated-forms of interaction, however, they remain human rather than hybrid cyborgs. For many, digital spaces offer connection, fellowship and access to communities that are unavailable in their physical environment, and moreover the illusion of detached selfhood that does not reflect embodied personhood. Digital spaces are not sui-generis, but rather mimesis of physical space governed by the same legal and social structures. This paper asks: How do individuals relate their digital selfhood to embodied personhood, especially when their actions become legal offenses? I examine this question through current debates in the UK regarding the criminalization of certain online speech that is not considered criminal if discussed in physical spaces. Investigations provide hyper-visibility to these digital selves, leading to actions on embodied individuals that affect their ability to interact with society since they are now labelled as “offenders.” Drawing on Zizioulas’ theology of personhood, I examine how secularization contributes to these split personas, that is, digital selves versus embodied personhood. In the UK example, individuals realize this paradox through legal punishment. Using Foucault’s insight into the “spaces” where religion resides, I argue that the Cyber-City is a secular space of communion, where individuals seek recognition and belonging, however, the panoptic structure of legal governance distorts relationality by replacing encounter with surveillance. This requires individuals to discern authentic encounters in both forms if they are to realize their personhood-in-communion with others.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Religious Community and Socialization
KEYWORDS
Cyber-City, Panopticon, Zizioulas, Foucault, AI, Surveillance, Personhood, Digital Selfhood
