DEVOLUTION: The Young Self in the Face of Technology

Summary A healthy self is something that goes mostly unnoticed: silent when it works well, very problematic when it doesn't. Many mental health problems involve a self that does not do its job well. Schizophrenia, Dementia, Depersonalization Disorder and several other diseases of the brain and mind express a faulty sense of self. But what is the self, really? How does it come about? What are the elements that form it? How can the self develop in a growing person while maintaining a continuous, coherent individuality? In the past few decades neuroscientists have approached those questions with increasing precision, and have given the self a role that is functionally important and central to well-being. The self, it turns out, presides over the management of a coherent life process, essential for a healthy, balanced and valuable existence. Crucial to the formation of a stable self is the period of youth when the experience of life is most indelible, when subjective perception, vivid emotion and autobiographical memory are most keenly at work. This is the time, these are the elements that form the person you will become. But now, major changes in youth culture are bound to have an effect on this development: digital technology, continuous access and connection will necessarily alter subjectivity and the very sense of self. The work of neuroscientists on the development of the young self leaves little doubt this sudden change will bring disruption to that process. Their work on the self implies that certain digital technologies will encourage identity confusion: whose autobiography will it be? Yours or one of your social-network personas? These days, it is not sure true self can finally emerge from the crowd. Rather, it may be derailed away from your unique, real potential, the only one able to construct a coherent and balanced persona. You need to be aware of this mental health risk. Rationale On the strength of three biomedical degrees, I have followed a decade-long interest and spent nearly five years in the research, selection, assembly - and integration into a narrative - of material that existed in separate sub-disciplines. The material used in this book was found in 153 publications (books, articles) that are listed as references. This material is not just instrumental in carrying the arguments; it also provides deep understanding of functions essential to the self - like perception and memory - and clarifies the workings of our minds. Great detail has been retained for this reason*. The topic is timely at different levels. Most explicit is the concern for young individual minds in a rapidly changing culture, as well as the doubt about their ability to form a sure identity that is able to develop coherently as they grow up. But there are also the problem of addiction to online outlets and the escapism from reality that prevents many young people to acquire a healthy sense of self, what should be the authentic reflection of their individuality. Finally, this topic refers to the more general contrast/competition between the space individuals allow for their humanity and the length of their digital time, when their behavior is dictated by the language and norms of machines. This competition is not a philosophical issue. It is of material importance because the brain is extremely plastic and different actions - automatism versus reflection, for instance - will influence live neural networks indelibly. The balance humanity/technology will clearly be an important issue for future generations, as enthusiasm for novelties in Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and other artificial props continues to be arisen. **** *Please read Letter to Readers for ways to glide over the density of information, using a 'fast track' or 'slow track' at will.