SECTION A
Essay
125 marks
The process of self-discovery has now been technologically outsourced.
WRITE IN
90 min
1,000–1,200 words
Reading the topic
The topic claims that the search for who we are, once pursued through reflection, relationships and experience, is now handed to algorithms, apps and social media that tell us what we like and who we are. The examiner expects a critical look at digital identity, data and the loss of inner reflection.
ThesisTechnology can assist self-discovery, but when algorithms decide our tastes and identities, we risk mistaking a profile built for profit for the self we never took time to know.
Dimensions to cover
- 1Psychology: recommendation feeds and quizzes offer ready-made identities, reducing the effort of introspection
- 2Economy: platforms profit from predicting and shaping behaviour, so the self they reveal is one that sells
- 3Youth and mental health: constant comparison on social media ties self-worth to likes and followers
- 4Philosophy and spirituality: Indian and Greek traditions treat self-knowledge as an inward journey that no external tool can complete
- 5Law and privacy: data protection and the right to privacy protect the space in which a person can form their own identity
- 6Positive side: health trackers, online learning and communities can help marginalised people discover and express themselves
Counter-view
- A counter is that technology merely extends older mirrors such as horoscopes, elders and society, and can genuinely help people learn about themselves. The essay should accept this but argue that the difference is scale and commercial intent, so the answer is mindful use, not rejection
Open and close
- Open: Open with a teenager scrolling through an app's year-end summary of her 'top moods' and favourite songs, accepting it as a portrait of who she is without ever having asked herself
- Close: Conclude that technology can be a mirror but not a guide, and that self-discovery must remain an inward journey that individuals and law should protect
Where marks usually go
- Writing a general essay on the pros and cons of technology without focusing on self-discovery and identity
- Taking an alarmist, anti-technology stance that ignores real benefits
- Missing the word 'outsourced' and failing to examine who gains from the outsourcing
Examples that fit
- ThinkerShoshana Zuboff argues that tech companies harvest human experience as behavioural data to predict and modify behaviour, which she calls surveillance capitalism.The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, Shoshana Zuboff (2019)
- ThinkerRamana Maharshi taught self-inquiry through the simple question 'Who am I?', an inward method of self-discovery that no device can perform.Who Am I? (Nan Yar?), teachings of Ramana Maharshi, Sri Ramanasramam
- CaseThe Cambridge Analytica scandal of 2018 revealed that Facebook users' data had been used to build psychological profiles for political targeting.UK Information Commissioner's Office, investigation report (2018)
- CaseThe Supreme Court's Puttaswamy judgment (2017) recognised privacy as a fundamental right, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 gives individuals rights over their personal data.Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017); Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023