The self and the ontic trust: toward technologies of care and meaning
| Pages | 395-408 |
| Date | 11 November 2019 |
| Published date | 11 November 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-09-2018-0073 |
| Author | Tim Gorichanaz |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information & communications technology |
The self and the ontic trust:
toward technologies of care
and meaning
Tim Gorichanaz
College of Computing and Informatics, Drexel University, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, USA
Abstract
Purpose –Contemporary technology has been implicated in the rise of perfectionism, a personality trait
that is associated with depression,suicide and other ills. This paper aims to explore how technology can be
developedto promote an alternative to perfectionism, whichis a self-constructionist ethic.
Design/methodology/approach –This paper takes the form of a philosophical discussion. A
conceptual frameworkis developed by connecting the literature on perfectionism and personalmeaning with
discussions in information ethics on the self, the ontic trust and technologies of the self. To illustrate these
themes, the exampleof selfies and self-portraits is discussed.
Findings –The self today must be understood as both individualisticand relational, i.e. hybrid; the trouble
is a balance. To realizebalance, the self should be recognized as part of the ontic trust to which all information
organisms and objectsbelong. Thus, technologically-mediatedself-care takes on a deeper urgency. The selfie
is one example of a technologyfor self-care that has gone astray (i.e. lost some of its care-conduciveaspects),
but this can be remedied if selfie-making technology incorporates relevant aspects of self-portraiture. This
example providesa path for developing self-constructionistand meaningful technologiesmore generally.
Practical implications –Technology development shouldproceed with self-care and meaning in mind.
The comparisonof selfies and self-portraits, situated historically and theoretically,provides some guidance in
this regard.Some specific avenues for development are presented.
Originality/value –The question of the self has not been much discussed in information ethics. This
paper links the self to the ontic trust: the self can be fruitfullyunderstood as an agent within the ontic trust to
which we all belong.
Keywords Ontic trust, Examined life, Virtue ethics, Technologies of the self, Self-care,
Constructionism
Paper type Conceptual paper
Introduction
The proliferation of networked information technologies brings along myriad issues. One
such issue is the rise in perfectionism, which has been called an “epidemic”by one of the
leading researchers on the topic (Baer, 2017). Perfectionism is a personality trait typified by
the pursuit of the rare, difficult and flawless, and it has been linked to rising rates of
depression and suicide. It is also part of a more general sense of a lack of personal meaning
in the modern day (Landau, 2018).
In this paper, I explore how technology can be developed and used to promote an
alternative to perfectionism: self-constructionism. While perfectionismfocuses on flaws and
threats, self-constructionism focuses on opportunities to build oneself. To ground this
discussion, I develop a framework connecting Luciano Floridi’s (2011) model of the
informational nature of selfhood to his concept of the ontic trust (Floridi, 2013). The ontic
trust suggests that all things are bound together, which implies obligations of care and
Technologies
of care and
meaning
395
Received6 September 2018
Revised24 October 2018
Accepted12 January 2019
Journalof Information,
Communicationand Ethics in
Society
Vol.17 No. 4, 2019
pp. 395-408
© Emerald Publishing Limited
1477-996X
DOI 10.1108/JICES-09-2018-0073
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