THE PROXY CONDITION

A philosophical look at modern technology and its impact on the self.

Tate explains the proxy condition as a state in which “the self is constituted across two incompatible systems (digital and physical, algorithmic and embodied) that do not share a unified frame for recognition.” It’s a common state in the modern world: While people have their physical existence (in which they eat and sleep), they also have a digital presence free from such concerns. The digital presence is that which exists on websites like Reddit and Facebook. This is unlike other technological breakthroughs in human history; something like a car gets used and then put away, but the digital self keeps going over the internet and has “reshaped what it means to be present.” Our choices on the internet go on to help shape the internet—for instance, on social media, “What you view and like will play a role in what is shown to others.” What’s more, the entire system has “quietly changed the rules of daily life” as we simultaneously exist in the real world while maintaining an online presence. (Activities as seemingly innocuous as scrolling through news feeds have real consequences.) The author effectively introduces terms like recursivity to help navigate the finer points. Visual aids illustrate how the world has gotten to its present state. Elements like a table of tech milestones from the years 1995 through 2006 help to put advancements into context—it’s easy to see how the modern digital era has emerged when one looks at the evolution of online banking in the late 1990s, followed a few years later by the faster “Always-On Internet.” Likewise, readers will come to fully appreciate how “Digital behaviors are not isolated, singular actions.” Some points are not exactly revelatory, however—the fact that the internet has allowed “Countless bad actors” to “scam at [an] unprecedented scale” will be news to no one. Ultimately, though, the book provides a nuanced lens through which readers can consider the ubiquity of the modern internet.

A well-paced investigation into the lasting effects of digital culture.