The HumanOS As An Identity Generator ~ Implications on the Digital Domain

The HumanOS as an Identity Generator (Implications on the Digital Domain)

Day/Session:Wednesday 4G

Convener:Jeff Orgel

Notes-taker(s): Jeff Orgel

Discussion notes, key understandings, outstanding questions, observations, and, if appropriate to this discussion: action items, next steps:

When a person creates a profile to, say, meet someone via social dating, imagine the following situation...

One person’s profile (persona, aka identity) is created after experiencing being cheated, loss of their job, and is feeling lost and needy.  Recent experience of broken trust and doubt of self may be quite foundational influences of profile questions.

Another person profile (persona, aka identity) is created after experiencing getting a raise, buying a new home and getting great results from the doc regarding their annual checkup.  Recent experience of appreciation, personal growth and wellness may be quite foundational influences of profile questions.

How different are the influences affecting those two different profiles?   What is it those two different profiles are reaching for in a relationship search?  The first is a somewhat dark and tortured moment. The second is a moment in the clouds, lofted by joyfulness.

This is an example of how our Real World impacts choices regarding the identity we establish on the digital landscape.  Our Human Operating System (HumanOS) has different outputs and requests, relative to state of mind, of the individual at the time of choosing how to relate to the digital landscape.

With that said, we would expect two very different wants.

Ready for the reveal?  The profiles were created by the same person five months apart.  This is how our HumanOS impacts the “identity” we choose to express in the digital world.  Circumstance drives sense of wellness and want. If the person discussed above is rather “steady state” regarding their emotions, we may see a near exact profile in either case.  If they are volatile, prone to histrionics, or manic you probably would not recognize the profiles as originating from the same person. They may even be so different you wouldn’t believe they are the same person in two spaces of life circumstance.

Our human nature and the aspects of personality, behavior and reaction can vacillate.  Influences on our demeanor can be extremely changeable. Translation and how we project ourselves onto the digital landscape can, by choice, be not only variable but designed to meet an intention of some will rather than a reflection of a moment.  The translation may be false and misleading if we are in a dishonest way. Translation may be designed to conflate who we are somehow if we believe gain of some sort is the reward for the self.

Here is the crux of this issue.  Being Human. We are susceptible to change and influence.  Our nature has soft spots. Wanting to fit in. Wanting power.  Wanting sex – a prime mover. Wanting to look to others.

The software systems and influences on our nature challenges us and often baits us to engage.  Is the engagement nourishing for us or a profit for a system and people or persons behind it? Humans are well known to engage lightly on positive topics and more deeply on topics which anger us.  A good story may be told to a couple people whereas an annoying or angering topic will be spread to a dozen people.

If the pay model of a system is engagement based on algorithms that drive stories and topics towards the user, would it not be somewhat evident that negative and annoying topics are herded to people and thought communities.  The algorithms probe to surface human nature which should fuel and create greatest payoff for the system. Great for the systems and the folks converting that impact into their dollars. Meanwhile those same systems impact us by blazing a trail towards “the lesser angels of our nature.”

Awareness of these frameworks combined with protection of our state of mind (Digital Aikido!), and clarity in terms of the goal of these systems, give the Human animal its best shot at maintaining and gaining our intention, all the while being subject to these forces.