Have We All Become Avatars?

This blog post is going to be a short one. It's mostly an observation of a phenomenon that may get more coverage in the future. A new phenomenon started becoming clear after the following examples in my life:

- Trying to get a hold of friends and getting no response

- Trying to get friends to commit to a time and date of YOUR choosing

- After receiving an urgent letter from a business and responding quickly yet getting no reply. It's like if the message was  truly urgent why can't I quickly get a reply from you?

- Trying to get some work done on my house many times but hearing no reply from many different companies. This happens over and over. You try it!

- Responding to your favorite social media personality and getting no response

- Having a issue with an online account and not being after to find support/customer service on the issue

- Contacting customer service and talking with people that have no real authority to make decisions instead they give just canned answers that don't actually solve your problem

I mean promising people everything at scale is great, but if you can't back it up it's worthless.

On and on it goes... there and many more examples

I believe it's an emerging and worsening phenomenon in our society. I guess the simplest way to sum things up is we are wearing too many hats. We have all become avatars. 

Avatar in this blog post meaning "an icon or figure representing a particular person in video games, online, internet forums, etc."

The more we move into the virtual I believe the more we give up our true power as human beings. Just imaging the person that spends 2-3 hours a day on social media if you spend just 30 minutes helping your surrounding community picking up trash, volunteering at a foodbank, landscaping your yard, working out, growing a garden, etc. Just think how much more impact you'd have on your own life and your happiness if you did something "real" instead of feeding the virtual beast. Also, over the past couple years you've seen the ever changing algorithmic control exercised on the virtual world. The more you delve into the virtual the more you are under the control of the rules of the game that you can't see, are not transparent, and are ever changing. I'm not saying virtual is 100% bad, just saying like in past blog posts I've mentioned view tech. as a tool. If it's a time and soul sucker get rid of it and move on to something else.

First avatar 20 years ago was our voicemail, e-mail accounts, the cell phone, texting, then social media came alone, video games, then more social media accounts adding additional avatars. We did the same in business. We've lost our ability to focus on one thing, to be a true professional at one thing and do it well. We are now employees with gigs and side hustles and part time businesses. Partly due to the fact that the new economy doesn't value professionals in the same way. It wants output/content/work etc. with compensation ranging from 100% free or minimal payment. I'm not saying we are victims I'm just saying when someone promises you something ask yourself when the seduction is occurring. Is this just another shinny mirage taking on another avatar or will this lead to true fulfillment personally and professionally? We are spreading our attention across multiple dimensions, promising everything, but delivering nothing well.

Can we get back to the days of true professionals? Say what you mean, mean what you say, do what you say you'll do, and do it well.