Identity
Definition
In co-creating your self, one develops an identity in relation to others.
In analog life, one develops identity at intersections point in which one comes into contact with others. Those with connectivity to others prosper. Those with the ability to handle and aggregate many incoming requests can easily scale their networks high above the standard number of connections that humans are normally capable of communicating with.
The idea of the traditional city was that of a series of concentric rings. The innermost of these rings was the most holy spot, capable of only being accessed by the highest priest in the village. In the same way, the true individual lies on the highest point - the most difficult to access by anyone from the outside world.
I think that if our culture tires to run entirely on the Internet in the future, we will not survive. What we idealize about a perfect working future cannot exist without its bugs. Programmers make systems that strain more than industrial machines do. There is duplicity of value everywhere.
There is no limitless value, or infinite reproducibility of objects, but rather a limited supply of connectivity. Being connected is a luxury. Cell phones in third world countries, as Bruce Sterling says, will be a sign of poverty. If you have no fixed address, you will need a cell phone.
