Social Cyborg

Lester D. Stone, EL 65, The Cyborg Self, Brown University, 2006

The social cyborg tends to live in fear of itself and other people while identifying with an omnipotent phantasy of technological power. Self at this level is seen as an object. Thoughts, feelings and perceptions bombard this self. When fear and pain within ourselves becomes externalized, the higher beings at work can provide the protection, This protection involves global networks of sensors keeping track of worldwide targets in real time. Vision technologies enhance security through continuous monitoring of the globe as a danger-rich environment. Enemies are now elusive and ubiquitous thanks these defense systems. An example is Britain. Britain has estimated 200,000 video-surveillance cameras, many of them continuously monitoring main streets and shopping centers. The camera makes people safe but at the same time makes people all the more vulnerable. Humans at this juncture are considered things instead of people. This social cyborg represents what people today experience and in some ways predict the future of the cyborg. Social cyborg's life describes a glimpse of the life of the cyborg.

History of the Cyborg: Index


Course Website cyborg Body & Self

Last modified 30 December 2006