Ego is the concept of “I�? or “me�? as an individual, and being different from everything else in the surrounding world. This concept is a keystone of western capitalist society and the Information Society. The concept of ego is so engrained into participants of the information society that the vast majority of the population are not even aware that other forms of thinking even exist.
According to Sigmund Freud the ego is divided into three parts: the id, the ego, and the superego. The ego is visible or on the surface, while the id and the superego remain below. The ego is the surface of the personality, the part you show the world. The ego develops with experience, and accounts for developmental differences in behaviour. The id represents biological forces; it is a constant as it is always present. The id is governed by the seeking of pleasure and primitive urges such as sex and violence. The superego consists of two parts, the conscience and the ego-ideal. The conscience decides what course of action one should take and the ego-ideal is an idealized view of one's self (Kardas, 2005).
While the ego is common knowledge within philosophy and psychoanalysis, within the Information Society it is like air, essential, ever-present but never noticed. Manifestations of the ego can be seen in emotions such as pride, jealousy, fear and arrogance. The word ego is more often than not associated with arrogance, or a sense of being better than others and of course an ego is needed to be arrogant.
The Information Society encourages the use of ego and arrogance by pitting people against each other in a myriad of competitions. The over-reliance of ego is often associated with a number of implications. The most renowned implication is that of individuality. Capitalism, unlike communism and socialism is very focused on each person being an individual and having the freedom to do whatever one chooses, though this might not always be as truthful as it first seems. Where as communism is focused on each person being a part of the whole and having a specific use to society, this approach relies less on the ego than the capitalist view that is so strongly upheld by the Information Society.
Some other implications that are associated with ego are stress and depression. These two mental illnesses are often caused by relying on ones self (ego) too heavily, rather than acquiring emotional or otherwise support from friends and family. The Information Society labels people who rely on each other as weak and inferior to those that go though life without the support of others. Over reliance on the ego is often associated with spiritual problems as well, although the information society does not provide suitable outlets for spirituality, it is more often deemed as an unnecessary part of life (Boldt, 1999).
Daniel Cotter 13:37, 16 Oct 2005 (EST)
