Identity theft?
The vast global trend toward computer-driven automation is usually discussed in terms of technological capabilities and their economic consequences. Navigation systems tell you where to drive, and Siri gives you quick answers, but technology’s ability to replace people’s jobs means there are usually some trade-offs when innovations take hold. Less frequently, we step back and consider the implications of automation on our own psyches and identities: What does it mean to be making our way in a world where we are guided around by computers, given answers on phones, and highly bound to networked technology? A set of high-profile scholars and authors faced that issue head-on Wednesday night at an MIT forum, presenting some sharply divergent perspectives about the implications of technology on our selves. “What makes us happy is facing hard challenges … and overcoming them,” said Nicholas Carr, the Pulitzer-nominated author of “The Shallows” and other books that cast a...