I had the pleasure of listening to Dr. Jeff Benabio speak at SXSW. IRL versus online identity.

Here’s how he opened: “By day I work with Kaiser Permanente; by night I’m @dermdoc.”

I’ve introduced myself the same way many times.  Tongue-in-cheek, we play our digital presence as some other part of ourselves. A space and identity separate and distinct from real life. I’d say this is the rule rather than the exception. Sociologist Nathan Jurgenson has called this digital dualism.

Going forward I suspect that this ice breaking comment won’t make much sense.  Our digital selves will meld with our medical meat space identity.  The digital divide will decay into a charming bit of history.

And perhaps the online/offline relationship is shifting. Eric Schmidt in The New Digital Age notes,

“The shift from having one’s identity shaped off-line and projected online to an identity that is fashioned online and experienced off-line will have implications for citizens, states and companies as they navigate the new digital world.”

I’ve known Jeff for some time but had never met him. I will add that he’s as brilliant and gifted a communicator in person as he is online. Or perhaps it’s the other way around.

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