Mirroring reality may be the expectation of technology, but that is not its purpose. Its purpose is to synchronize our real-life identity with our online presence while still differentiating the two worlds.
One shouldn’t have to think about which territory they’re in: digital or physical reality. Actions and reactions should be all the same.
But the medium is the message.
We contain multitudes — we are more dynamic and potentially more conversant or expressive online through text than in person, and sometimes, the other way around.
When we hide behind avatars, we can be whoever we want. People enjoy seeing visual variety just as they do candy-colored apps. But sooner or later, playing make-pretend catches up just as trolls eventually get caught.
Minus the invisibility cloak of the blockchain, the internet strips us of all anonymity.
People crave digital truth serum. If we sense a false consciousness, the actor gets called out. Half-truths may harvest attention, but lies kill it just as fast. This is still a universe that double-checks veracity. Facts never expire.
Honesty is the only metric that can be trusted in our tiny backwater of the vast web.