The Future Normal · Part 1
Multiversal Identity
What if we could all be our real and most authentic selves both online and offline?
What if we could all be our real and most authentic selves both online and offline?
The Trend
As we build avatars and digital versions of ourselves across virtual worlds, the identities we create online start shaping who we become offline. Researchers at Stanford named this the Proteus Effect: our behavior conforms to our digital self-representation regardless of how others perceive us. In the future normal, these multiple versions of our identity will feel true enough to reinforce the most authentic version of ourselves in daily life.
The Instigator
The leading avatar creation platform, founded by Timmu Tõke so that anyone could build a virtual self and carry it across thousands of games and apps without needing technical skill. The hardest part of the process is choosing the hair. More than $50 million in funding and partnerships with Samsung, L’Oréal and Adidas have made it the default starting point for people new to virtual identity.
Imagining The Future Normal
What will authentic mean?
People will be able to show up in many forms, as certified “real” humans and hyperrealistic AI avatars with fantastical filters. Different communities and platforms will embrace different norms and behaviors, but intention will remain most important. Alternate identities will be deemed authentic if they have been created with permission from the people they emulate.
How will AI-powered digital twins shape the perception of identity?
There’s a lot of attention on the newfound ability to give agency to AI-powered personal assistants. But these personas will present data, design, and legal challenges (as well as opportunities). Who will be responsible for the actions of someone’s AI agent, and how will transgressions be disciplined?
Will “proof of personhood” bring blockchain into the mainstream?
Early verification platforms like World App have been deeply controversial due to allegedly deceptive practices, but the importance of tools “to anonymously and securely verify that you are a real and unique human (not a bot)” is growing as AI avatars become commonplace. Over time, this will become central to the debate over what autonomy and personhood actually mean.
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