So: we have a desperate need for more authenticity these days. At the same time as performative measures are increasing in number.

And I think they’re related.

As we’ve gotten more and more interconnected, we’re all ever present in front of each other. Everything we do has become performative. And even as this reality has seeped into the public... See more

You're no longer just professing an opinion, you're being the type of person who would profess such an opinion .

There's a key point that our actions do fundamentally change in some ways when we think someone's watching us. David Elkind, a child psychologist of high repute (repute as a psychologist I mean, not as a child), coined the term Imaginary Audience in 1967. He coined it to point to a belief that we are under constant observation by peers.

In a world where everyone’s acting, what wouldn’t we give for someone who’s seen to be true!

So: we have a desperate need for more authenticity these days. At the same time as performative measures are increasing in number.

Social psychologists have known for decades that people are motivated to work harder when others are watching. When they are observed, people run faster, are more creative, and think harder about problems.