Your Presence is a Present

This post is on the "weird" side of what I write about, but I also feel this will be a BIG shift that people of a certain age won't be as ready to accept/embrace. I also think it will matter.

Blame video games if you want, but a lot of people have grown up with the concept that there's our physical body and there's our "presence," and that we can represent ourselves via an avatar remotely or even with costumes in the physical world. I believe we are headed towards a reality where people might make the choice not to represent themselves via their physical form wherever possible.

A Variable You - Presence and Avatars

You should know that Mark Zuckerberg has already invested $10 Billion in a world like this.

Mark's betting that personal and business interactions will shift more and more to this kind of a world. Now, before you "pshaw" yourself into a coughing fit, think about all the times where people maybe don't want their actual physical selves represented. One example: as we age. I'm 52 and I don't mind looking 52. But some folks feel sensitive that, as they age, discrimination will become more and more of a very costly problem. People lose work to others when this happens. Another use case: vitiligo (when your skin loses pigment in certain areas, leaving you looking a bit "spotty" - which can be considered quite derrogatory, said by a guy with rosacea).

This goes on and on, when you think about other people who might want to represent themselves differently. I'm one of the many people who put on tons of weight during the pandemic. The free anxiety attack I experience every time I meet colleagues in person would be quite reduced in a world that more and more expresses acceptance for virtual selves (Yes, I'm eating better and going to the gym to drop the tonnage, but still.)

Trans people (especially those who aren't yet "out" to their families) already know to escape into these virtual representations. While they look into ways and methods to transform their physical world self, digital presence can be a big thing.

Even cis-gendered people might want to remove gender from the equation. If you've ever felt passed over based on your race or gender, you might feel interested in being a blue navi from James Cameron's "Avatar."

This Might Take Many Forms

Are you at all up on the whole "vocaloid" thing? Do you know who Hatsune Miku is, for instance? Before you scoff at this one, realize that a virtual person (whoever holds the intellectual property) has made by some estimates over $120 million, including lots of people going to "live" concerts where she plays in front of human audiences. You might have seen Tupac Shakur perform this way, too. Would you pay $100 to go see Elvis "live" with your favorite band? Someone will.

And lest we forget that furries exist. Beyond the often-snickered-about sexuality aspects, think about the comfort people feel in wearing a costume that obscures their body and expressions from other people. When Billie Eilish talked about this in an ad, even. She wears baggy clothes most of the time so that people can't opine about her looks.

Have you had that experience? Someone commenting when you gain or lose a few pounds? Has someone done the "you look tired" bit on you? Nothing quite like that feeling.

Would You Want To Escape The Physical You?

I know I would. I am very comfortable with who I am and what I look like, and I am accepting of what I have to do to make the changes that I want to make. But I think often about how much anxiety would be abated by just showing up as a digital (better than Zuck's efforts) version of myself.

The only question people might still be left with is about "trust." How do I know that you are you? Well, imposters have existed for ages. Physical world trickery works the same as digital. And in fact, with blockchain (I can't talk about this or this article would be triple the length), you could actually VERIFY that the Chris Brogan you're talking to is THE Chris Brogan.

I don't know. What do you feel about all this?

Chris...