An identity is not just something you are obliged to have so that others know how to think about you. It is also a way to create what design theorists call affordances. Affordances are invitations for action. A chair affords sitting. A button affords pushing. Identities provide affordances like this, too.

When I worked at my last job, which was as a... See more

If decentralized identity were widely adopted, people would be able to carry their full selves with them as they traverse cyberspace: their affinities and experiences reflected by what they’ve created, contributed to, earned, and owned online, no matter the specific platform. This would bring us closer to how things work in the physical world,... See more

There is something freeing about removing your face from your online persona. It paradoxically makes you feel like you can be more authentic. This is a stretch of an analogy but just as psychedelics that facilitate ego death allow for a truer glimpse at your underlying psychology, untying your digital persona from your smiling LinkedIn photo allows... See more