The ‘curated self’: a philosophical exploration

Thinkers have grappled with the question of what defines humanity for centuries. Are we naturally virtuous or vicious? Enlightened or ignorant? Beyond this debate, another question comes to light: how does technology change the way we view ourselves? As we develop more sophisticated tools, our perception of self changes, along with how we view our place in the world.

Prophets have long reflected on the relationship between modernity and the human condition. Friedrich Nietzsche’s The Gay Science (1882) serves as a poignant example, commenting on the new ways in which we conceptualise our relationship with the world and with ourselves. According to Nietzsche, without a belief in God or a higher power, humanity faces greater existential anxiety where we frantically question ourselves: are we not straying through an infinite nothing? In this ‘modern condition’, the individual must navigate a world of uncertainty and assume new forms of responsibility.

Beyond abstract philosophies, what is the role of technology in reshaping human identity? Again, this line of inquiry is not without its own rich history. One example is Walter Benjamin’s work on the impact of mass production on art, where he argued that reproduction diminishes the reverence that was previously felt for it, altering how we relate to cultural artefacts.

Aristotle once defined us as the social animal, should we now be called the ‘social media animal’?

Social media raises similar questions about how our tools influence self-perception. An emerging concept is the ‘curated self’, which aims to describe how one may craft and present an online persona, representing a break with the past in terms of our self-understanding and experience of the world. Aristotle once defined us as the social animal, should we now be called the ‘social media animal’?

The psychologist Bruce Wilson defined the curated self as ‘the selection, organisation, and presentation of online content about yourself’ with the understanding that the online has become a canvas to recreate who we are.’ Self-presentation is not unique to the online world – in the ‘real world’ people have long expressed identity through aspects such as clothing, hobbies, or music. However, social media is unique for its ability to synthesise this information, collecting it into a narrative that is put on public display.

In How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy (2019), Jenny Odell describes the importance of safeguarding our attention in the modern world, arguing that self-curation may pose a risk, impairing our ability to be present in our lives. Odell argued that self-curation is problematic because it leads to a ‘performative selfhood’ and the commodification of the self, factors that lead to diminished authenticity. As American sociologist Sherry Turkle wrote in her work Alone Together (2011), ‘Our networked life allows us to hide from each other, even as we are tethered to each other.’

Behind all of the problems Odell presents, is the pressure applied by social media to encourage users to conform to narrowly defined identities. Identities may take the form of aesthetic movements, or other specific subcultures, limiting the exploration of other facets of identity and unique, authentic self.

A sceptic may reply that performativity, distraction, and the commodification of the self are not intrinsic to social media and instead present as recurrent features of the human experience. Some sociological views argue that the defining feature of human interaction is its ‘dramaturgical’ nature, speaking to its performance component. While the term ‘personal brand’ may be new, the practice of distinguishing oneself based on skills or personal traits for one’s own profit certainly is not.

While performance is a natural feature of all social interaction, curating a wall of images to attribute to yourself may influence the user to adhere to a ‘curated self’, restricting our ability to reinvent ourselves in real life.

That being said, it is undeniable that the medium through which we express ourselves, such as social media, changes the nature of personal promotion and social performance. Three important factors play into social media’s influence: the permanence of content, the social expectation to participate in this public display, and the collapse in the distinction between our public and private selves.

While performance is a natural feature of all social interaction, curating a wall of images to attribute to yourself may influence the user to adhere to a ‘curated self’, restricting our ability to reinvent ourselves in real life. With the proliferation of labels such as ‘dark academia’ or ‘cottage core’, we see finer and finer subcultures being established. Acting on the impulse to fit in limits our ability to explore other facets of ourselves.

Individuals may encounter difficulty when seeking to uphold freedom and responsibility and determining oneself outside of the confines of a narrow culture. To pretend that we could ever be ‘just’ a ‘manic pixie dream girl’ or ‘finance bro’ is an act of ‘bad faith’ which goes against our responsibility to be authentically free people, capable of determining our own existential values.

To a certain extent, the instinct is difficult to resist. For better or for worse, social media is often the first impression of ourselves we show to others. Nowadays, following someone on social media may even precede meeting them in person. In this context, how can we resist the urge to influence how we are first perceived? Don’t we all want a wall of photos which gives off the impression of being well-liked, well-dressed, well-read, or well-travelled?

In some cases, there are economic pressures too. Many at university face uncertainty surrounding their future career and seek to present as well-rounded professionals on LinkedIn. To avoid the fear of being unable to find a job, one curates an alter ego defined by variable academic success and extracurricular participation. The systemic pressure of the curated self makes it an increasingly hard phenomenon to avoid.

We do not just curate a self online but, in some cases, a whole life. Every moment is waiting to be documented and shared, potentially to people we do not know, for clout or monetary benefit.

The curated self may be a genuine departure in our self-understanding, in which technology facilitates a gradual collapse between the public and the private spheres of our lives. We do not just curate a self online but, in some cases, a whole life. Every moment is waiting to be documented and shared, potentially to people we do not know, for clout or monetary benefit.

The nature of celebrity has shifted. We have come to admire not only those who act out fictional lives but those who entertain us with their everyday lives. The popular film The Truman Show is no longer a fiction but a reality where many are now choosing to turn the camera on themselves, with an increasing number getting addicted to the programme.

As social media fosters transparency and oversimplification, it prompts us to consider our relationship with ourselves, others, and our wider world. Experiences that were once deemed intimate and personal now overlap with public consumption. The rise of the curated self prompts the question: have technologies fundamentally changed human behaviour, or are these shifts merely adaptations to new contexts?

And though it may be, in some measure, an unscientific question, this question is as captivating as it is essential. It is a question that, like other enduring philosophical puzzles, challenges us to reflect deeply on what it means to be human in an age of perpetual self-curation.