On Authenticity in Social Life and Sociology

Abstract

This text introduces a discussion on sociological theory and addresses the challenges arising from the shift in the discourse of authenticity from philosophy, ethics, and the study of historical artifacts, culture, and art to the study of communication through digital media and academia. This shift encourages a new look at the entire spectrum of interconnected sociological issues of identity and relationships across various contexts, including politics and academia, and becomes an unexpected and important criterion for assessing the value and credibility of communicative actions and their performers. Although the main topic and timeframe of this thematic block is the state of sociological theory in the 21st century, this article outlines the path by which authenticity entered the scope of sociological interest. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that the meaning of authenticity changes significantly with changing contexts of use, while simultaneously leaving some traces of source references, positioning itself between essentialist and constructivist perspectives and across the domains of collective and individual relations. By exceeding the limits of its earlier contextual applications, the category of authenticity becomes ambiguous and contradictory, paradoxically increasing its persuasive impact in discourse.