The Evolution of Freedom: Redefining Social in the Digital Age

When Aristotle said, “Man is a social animal,” he did not foresee the revolution that Facebook and other modern technologies would bring about in the lives of people in the twenty-first century. For Aristotle, being social meant gathering in groups, interacting face-to-face, and experiencing the nuances of human interaction, whether positive or negative. But in the modern era, we have a new definition of social that is influenced by Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Page’s conception of humans as digital beings connected by blue light screens and scrolling for dopamine.

In this new world, anyone can order products they have never seen before, enrage or humiliate someone in a distant corner of the world, say mean words about religious affiliations and ideologies, or simply watch someone else’s cat playing with toys. The choices are endless, and the definition of what it means to be social has shifted dramatically. It’s possible to know more about a celebrity in a foreign land than your own sibling.

This evolution of what it means to be social raises the question of whether we need to update Aristotle’s definition of the social animal or create a new one altogether. The impact of technology on our social lives is significant and profound. It has given us new freedoms to connect and interact with others in ways that were once unimaginable. However, it has also created new challenges, such as the spread of hate speech and the erosion of privacy. As we continue to navigate this digital landscape, we will need to continually re-evaluate and redefine what it means to be social in the modern age.