Mace, Rebecca; (2024) #Know Thyself @selfiegeneration: Philosophical Foundations of Self-knowledge expressed through social media. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

This doctoral thesis examines the complexities of the Delphic Injunction, "Know thyself," within the context of a social media-dominated world. It is suggested that the ancient command takes on new dimensions because social media platforms offer unprecedented opportunities for self-articulation. Influenced by various approaches toto the concept of human virtuality, I set out to reveal how the modern digitally engaged generation navigates self-knowledge on social media. A hybrid real-virtual seIf is explored as a way to understand what self-expression via social media might mean for self-knowledge. Drawing upon the notion of a fantasy-laden virtual life (Frankel and Krebs 2021) within the digital virtual arena, I propose that social media opens an important and play-full space for self-understanding and a new framing for engagement with the question ‘Who am I?’. Narratives that shape assumptions about the self and self-knowledge are explored through philosophy, art, popular culture, and educational theory in a way that mirrors actual cases of social media usage. Part One provides an account of self-concept and self-knowledge. Tracking some of the theoretical territory on these linked topics, it explores introspection, extrospection, and the influence of emotions and experiences on self-understanding. It then emphasises how self- knowledge as worked out through social media functions as a series of nodes rather than a static conclusion or identity. The Injunction “Know Thyself” is importantly unresolved, and the question “Who am I?” is never completely answered in online spaces – if it ever has been or could be. Part Two, advocates a broader definition of "real" on social media. Inspired by Plato’s Forms, it challenges notions of reality and representation, asking us to consider the boundaries of reality and consider what is “real”. As a result, this section is organised around the themes of (virtual) Truth, Love, and Beauty. However, rather than suggesting that the physical world (or that which shows up on social media in this instance) is a lower form of reality, with the Forms (or real-life) being higher and more authentically real, all three sections (Truth, Love, and Beauty) acknowledge the importance of a blend of reality, virtuality, and fiction in shaping human self-expression. It is suggested that social media could be viewed as an important virtual playground for role-play and storytelling. Moving from the classical to the modern context reflects the enduring relevance of our human inquiries into reality and representation. Just as Platonic ideals shed light on the nature of reality and the role of perception, in contemporary contexts hyper reality might also prompt viewers to question their perceptions. It therefore serves as a helpful tool to understand the blurring of boundaries that Part Two suggests is crucial to our understanding of self-knowledge as mediated by social media. Part Three therefore draws parallels between hyper-hybrid art forms, and the hyper-hybrid nature of social media. It focusses especially upon abstraction and conceptualisation, and then further blurring of boundaries between the “real” and the “virtual”, to reach for a way in which we might understand self-knowledge in the context of social networking sites (SNS). The overall conclusion of the thesis that that the Delphic Injunction's meaning in the context of social media is significantly different. It presents new problems but also offers a new and unprecedented space for imaginative, creative and dynamic engagement with self-knowledge.

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