Digital Consciousness: Algorithmic Soul Reconfiguration in Jennifer Egan's Look at Me

Abstract

Identity construction is a fluid process shaped by cultural, social, and technological forces, particularly in the digital era. Jennifer Egan’s Look at Me critiques how technology and surveillance reshape selfhood, highlighting the commodification of personal identity. While it portrays fractured identities in a hyper-visible world, it also invites further inquiry into the philosophical impact of algorithmic systems on human consciousness. The paper follows a textual analysis methodology to throw light on the co-constructed identity.  Further this paper applies Actor-Network Theory (ANT) in order to examine the relationships between humans and non-human entities such as technologies as part of a network that co-constructs identity. ANT critically examines how human beings interact with technology, highlighting algorithmic systems as active agents in shaping identities. Egan’s narrative examines how technological systems and human actions intertwine, redefining personal identity in a dynamic network. It suggests that identities are fluid, continually reconstructed through the ongoing interplay between human and technological forces. The paper raises ethical concerns around corporate control of personal data but falls short of addressing the complexities of technological ethics, particularly accountability and moral responsibility. This gap calls for deeper critical engagement with how digital systems shape human identity and agency. Egan’s portrayal of digital surveillance anticipates contemporary concerns about algorithmic governance and human autonomy. To what extent can the identities in the novel be viewed as algorithmically reprogrammed products of technological commodification rather than authentic self-expressions? The paper examines the interplay of human actions and technology to understand the fluid nature of selfhood