On global identity and the internet

I view myself as a global citizen. My lifestyle and mindset are certainly influenced predominantly by American midwestern culture, though I always strive to view the world through a cosmopolitan lens.

Foremost, I believe that online communities have guided me to this perspective. While language still poses a barrier, national borders (typically) do not hinder international communication over the internet. This is not always the case: China’s Great Firewall and Russia’s RuNet demonstrate that national interests can still limit the internet’s reach. Forums full of people with similar interests as me are only a click away — even if the members hail from halfway across the globe. Only the internet could provide me with the capacity to simultaneously pursue a hearty argument with a gamer from Hong Kong, while discussing climate change with a friend in Madrid. Furthermore, social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook make it far easier to view perspectives of those around the world. A plethora of differing perspectives are espoused on the internet, but all in all, the digital world has demonstrated to me how plentiful the similarities between us truly are.

From a philosophical standpoint, I also prefer to consider myself a global citizen. I subscribe to Rawl’s veil of ignorance, evaluating the goodness of the world not by my own nation’s position in it, but rather by determining if it’s a world I would like to live in without knowing my circumstance, status, or nationality. This helps me see the larger picture and empathize with the plights of those not as privileged as I am. I struggle to understand how some Americans can empathize more with a person in Texas than a person twenty meters across the border in Mexico.

To conclude, I may fully acknowledge my American identity, but I hold far deeper value in my global identity.