Cyberself - No Syndrome

The cyberself is not a syndrome.  It is, in fact, a new selfhood and mine is running amuck.  I’m not sure why psychologists have not given it a new category of recognition – id, ego, cyberself, superego.  Or it could be categorized as a level of consciousness - conscious, cyber-conscious, unconscious, subconscious. Some kind of acknowledgment or identification is needed.

I am not a psychologist, but I’m well aware of my mental and emotional state, and my cyberself is robustly present. Actually, I am not a research analyst, a physician, professional shopper, the Pope, meteorologist, or op-ed journalist either. However, my cyberself stakes claim to each of these professions and more. With total disregard for standard credentials or considerations, it simply Googles the information needed and then proceeds with self-appointed authority. Period.

Although I sense the emergence of the cyberself is a kind of mental evolution, it also feels closely aligned with an inflated ego and is only fueled by free reign in cyberspace.  Filling shopping carts, assertively commenting, searching travel adventures, collecting data – all of this in a state of satisfied mounting nonchalance. “Of course, I can do this,” it says to itself. Like in a dream, I appear as a mere observer. My cyberself feels it does not have to deal with time or money or any kind of reasoning – it has access to the Google God, the Archangel Amazon, and Mark’s Ark. What more is there? It’s a cyberself in cyberspace!

As you may know, my obsession is using technology as an overlay for personal exploration. Here is Webopedia’s definition for cyberspace. “Cyberspace is the non-physical terrain created by computer systems. Online systems, for example, create a cyberspace within which people can communicate with one another, do research, or simply window shop (not hardly). Like physical space, cyberspace contains objects (files, mail messages, graphics, etc.) and different modes of transportation and delivery. Unlike real space, though, exploring cyberspace does not require any physical movement other than pressing keys on a keyboard or touchscreen.”

This leads to my definition for cyberself - an emerging ego in cyberspace that senses itself as the primary identity and feels an exhilaration and sense of freedom from physical confines and responsibility.
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We should be celebrating this growth in consciousness, however unruly and unreasonable. Many are I feel certain. Look at the growing number of Facebook Faithfuls and tech zealots and temples around every corner. But for me, I feel overwhelmed with this addition to identify. I wonder if the New Age of Net Neutrality will lessen the cyberself and its sense of free reign in this strange New World. I should ask my cyberself, who also claims the powers of prophecy.  

SELF Search continues. Join me.