Transparency: How an Intangible Becomes Extinct

Oxford cites the following definition - trans·par·en·cy (noun) 1. the quality of allowing light to pass through so that objects behind can be?distinctly?seen. 2. the quality of being easy to?perceive?or detect.

I then Googled the question, "How does extinction occur," and was shocked and just a little smug when I read the following:

Extinction occurs when species are diminished because of environmental forces such as habitat fragmentation, climate change, natural disaster, overexploitation by humans, and pollution, or because of evolutionary changes in their members (genetic inbreeding, poor reproduction, decline in population numbers).

It's as clear as the writing on the wall.

Call it a warning or a cautionary tale, but transparency is going the way of the dinosaur. Unlike the DNA of a mosquito in Jurassic Park, trapped in a 25–30-million-year-old piece of amber, transparency (as an intangible) has no DNA and cannot be replicated. But can it be reversed?

The only way to uncover authentic Transparency, is to know with whom we're professionally getting into bed. In doing so, the regeneration process begins, edging out the disingenuous by shining a light on them and an even brighter light on those whose modus operandi is based on authenticity.

But how do we do this? Stay with me, we’re almost there.

What is Causing the Extinction of Transparency?

Transparency is becoming extinct because of the fragmentation of our culture, and a growing number of exploiters (those who use OPM with no thought of accountability or who they're hurting). You see, too often neither of the parties knows the other. It's just a voice on an untraceable phone. And one is very convincing, and the other is listening to that voice address his or her pain point.

Transparency was once thriving, back in the day when one phone number reached only one household or business; when a physical address could be verified; when the worst lie was, "The check is in the mail." This may be an oversimplification, but you get my drift.

If you recall the result of my Googling "how does extinction occur?" two of the reasons listed were: habitat fragmentation, and overexploitation by humans.

At this point, I feel it's necessary to mention I am not tech savvy. I write about a number of industries and am proficient in many; IT is not one of them. Mentions of anything remotely related to computer technology are the result of online research. I call this, ahem, transparency.

ISPs change IP addresses about every 7 days (please don't ask me why) but it can, without intentional malice, aid in anonymity. Additionally, IP addresses can be changed by the user; business telephone numbers are often unlisted VOIP lines (searches can be made but may cost you a fee), goods are often dropped-shipped from halfway across the globe with no way of knowing the physical address; and names, photos, email addresses, and the like, can be a lot of smoke and mirrors (little to no transparency). The number and variety of thriving scam operations occurring daily, would probably fill an old-fashioned Yellow Pages. (Does anyone remember how thick those babies were?)

Is Social Media the Culprit?

No, absolutely not! Social media is not bad. However, many who use social media to propagate their shadowy schemes are bad news. The good news is, there are ways to research people and their businesses. And if you think it takes a lot of time, think about this:

If you're about to transfer funds or write a check to an enterprise that is not transparent (aka "the shadow"), calculate how long it took you to make that money...a week, a month, six months, a year, more than a year? Would you say that a few hours to a few days to research them would be a good investment in protecting your hard-earned assets???

Tips for your Protection (Using LinkedIn as an Example)

• When you receive a message, first note if they are a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd degree contact, or a paid advertisement. Understanding the connection is the first step and makes sense of why they reached out to you in the first place.
• Once degree of connection is established, visit and read (thoroughly) through their profile. That means all affiliated companies with which they've worked, their education, etc. Verify if what they’ve written to you in their message matches up with what is written in their profile.
• Check to see if they are the owner or employee of each business.
• If they're the owner of a company, attempt to pull up their information through the state's Division of Corporations, such as www.Sunbiz.org in the state of Florida. Open up the attached pdfs to find out their status (dissolution, active, inactive).
• Have a telephone conversation with them. If they say it’s easier for them to conduct their business virtually with no other means of communication – red flag.
• Cross-check names, photos, etc. on other social media platforms.
• And finally, even if everything seems to line up, get some references if you’re planning on contracting with them – remember – paying for goods or services is not a guarantee that you’ll receive them.

S. Deborah Desser ? 2023 | TULU PUB LLC