last off-ramp

Has anyone seen the Ghost in the Shell movies or series? This very much reminds me of it. In Ghost in the Shell world, in the not so distant future, most people have cyborg bodies or at least parts and their minds or souls (Ghosts) are contained in their machine bodies (Shells). Because of this, many people are directly connected with the net. People use this to hack into others' minds and take control, as far as altering memories, and controlling body functions. In the same sense, the people have become programs that can be moved from one computer to another, or modified, or even shut off. This is an interesting idea because when this happens, we will have to re-define life and existence. Once we become data, what makes us alive? Can a person then be written? or copied and modified?