Personas September 4, 2024
A while ago when I was conversing with <@1095889950559440961> online, we stumbled upon the topic of personas. I decided to jot down some of my thoughts on the subject as a way to organize my now-considered somewhat chaotic reasoning. Why create such a space dedicated to this matter and share it with the world? Perhaps it stems from my hidden desire (apologies) to find a corner to discuss something meaningful with somebody — and there you have it.
It all began with us discussing how a prestigious content creator, especially in recent years, has shifted in their behavior and communication style. Predictably, some viewers interpret this as them donning a "performance"—wearing this façade to appeal to empathy or generate donations—and "that's simply the nature of the internet," they claim.
I fully agree with the first portion of that statement: aren't we all constructing these "personas" daily? For most content creators this is evident, but I believe this holds true in our everyday lives as well. As we navigate streets encountering various strangers, though we might not know their identities or even exchange words, from the instant our gaze falls upon them until we part ways, we engage in an unconscious form of persona creation, even when it's embedded so deeply within us that it feels instinctively natural. One's attire, physical characteristics, or overheard phone conversations all reveal fragments of information. Let's consider this the universal approach to crafting a persona.
And I see nothing wrong with this! In fact, it unfolds naturally like many other aspects of our daily existence. However, here lies the distinction between two concepts: the aforementioned general persona-building and the type typically associated with content creators or celebrities, the latter carrying more negative connotations: the mask, the artifice, the "inauthentic." Generally, this refers to deliberate, exaggerated persona-crafting, which we can often recognize when we encounter it. Ultimately, it boils down to identifying that subtle boundary between what's forced and what's genuine — similar to distinguishing between someone being pretentiously showy or genuinely knowledgeable — and herein disagreements arise.
Can we ever truly determine if someone constructs a persona for attention, donations, sympathy, or other motives? This is why I contest the latter half of the statement introduced earlier. Unfortunately, every interpretation of the reasoning behind our actions seems to converge not on our authentic intentions as actors, but rather on external commentary and perspectives. There's a popular internet adage: "There aren't as many spectators to your life as you imagine," encouraging people to pursue their desires. Yet applying our earlier logic, whenever our presence registers with another person, we inevitably create a persona for them, whether through direct interaction or impressions based on previous encounters, making each of them our audience. Our intentions and motivations become secondary; their interpretations take precedence. Contemplating this reality feels like having shackles placed on every dimension of existence.
The harsh truth is that (many) people approach situations with skepticism, believing those who embrace other people's personas are foolish—as if they themselves occupy a higher intellectual plane, deserving praise for their perspectives, as if severing emotional connections with others represents the pinnacle of intelligence, rationality, and exceptional self-awareness. This mindset leads to snap judgments: categorizing someone's profession based on attire, assessing their intellect based on differing viewpoints, or labeling their personality based on reactions. Those who adhere to such rigid life formulas, completely disregarding what lies beneath these expressions while considering themselves astute observers capable of identifying others' flaws, constitute a significant portion of society, varying only in their willingness to acknowledge this tendency.
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