Abstract:
This paper analyzes the social media trend “Do it for the plot” through Paul Ricoeur’s theory of narrative identity. Although the trend frames itself as enriching, its emphasis on isolated and casual actions conflicts with the ethical depth that a narrative identity entails. Drawing on Ricoeur’s ethical aims outlined in Oneself as Another, the paper argues that narrative coherence is fundamental to responsible agency. In contrast, the “Do it for the plot” logic risks reducing subjectivity to performance and life to consumable content, echoing concerns raised by Debord, Goffman, and Sartre about objectification and spectacle. The paper contends that a fuller understanding of narrative provides a helpful counterpoint to digital culture’s performative pressures. Reengaging Ricoeur offers a way to move beyond reductive views of online self-presentation toward a more substantive account of agency, recognition, and ethical selfhood.
Keywords:
narrative identity, performativity, social media, TikTok, ethics of the self, Paul Ricoeur
How to cite:
Lodi, Martina. “’Do it for the plot’: a Ricoeurian approach to social media performativity.” Eidos. A Journal for Philosophy of Culture 9, no. 4 (2025): 53-68. https://doi.org/10.14394/eidos.jpc.2025.0034.
Author:
Martina Lodi
Department of Human Sciences, Libera Università Maria SS. Assunta
Piazza delle Vaschette, 101 – 00193 Rome, Italy;
Institut Catholique
21 Rue d’Assas, 75006 Paris, France
https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8637-129X
m.lodi1.dottorati@lumsa.it
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