Who am I? Who are you? Questions that seem simple, but understanding how the answers are formed means understanding how society works. In simpler times (hunter-gatherer or agrarian) the answers were easy to get. For example, I am the son of a farmer. This could mean that I will be a farmer, that I will help feed people, and that I will work with the seasons and the land. You are a potter's daughter, so you will be a potter. You prepare the shards in which I will put the food I grow, and you know I will exchange a dozen eggs for a jug. Being a tanner, however, has its own connotation, perhaps dirtier. This may be the same way identities work today, but understanding identities themselves seems more complex than ever. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay As society has become more complex, humans must deal with multiple interactions to accommodate these complexities. People may not always behave the same way when they are with their parents instead of at school or with friends at a party. When we change our behavior, we are often changing or masking our identity. This carries the risk of being confused, conflicted or creating self-doubt. If we behave around our friends in a way that we know will disappoint our parents, we are creating this internal discord. If we do this enough, we run the risk of asking the question “who am I” and having to say “I don't know,” which can leave us adrift. This problem is exacerbated by the technological world we live in, where FaceTime has become less important than Facebook. In simpler times, kinship was all that many families or communities had. Bonds held people together in difficult times and allowed them to share joy in better times. In the modern world of highly mobile individuals and professions, much of this kinship has been lost. Kinship is still important to me and my family is very close. We maintain aspects of our cultural heritage that place a high value on kinship and ensure we take time to build bonds between ourselves and our community. While our social and cultural identity can play a role in determining our relationships with our friends or enemies, it could go much deeper. At first glance, my cultural identity might tell me to treat my friends a certain way and my enemies another. Maybe I share food with the former and ignore the latter. Socially I can help my peers and try to harm my enemies, to the extent that my moray eels and the law allow. However, my social/cultural identity may not only determine how I treat friends/enemies, but it also determines who I am. As we grow up, we learn to identify who our friends and enemies are using the tools given to us by those who raised us. This is certainly something to be aware of, especially if we ever want to consider changing aspects of how we see the world. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay To conclude the essay, the world moves very fast and the access to different ideologies and ideas is greater than it has ever been in human history. The telephone, cell phone, and Internet have connected people in ways and at speeds never seen before in human history. These developments have created a world with previously unseen levels of complexity. These technologies have improved our lives in many ways, but maybe we should.