Our digital realities are not the same

During an interesting coffee chat I had last week, Ahmed Kajee, a senior digital transformation leader who works in a telecom company, said, “Our digital realities are not the same”. Though it may have sounded a bit philosophical at first, upon reflecting on it later during a moment of contemplation at home, I realised how deeply practical and relevant this is today in our digital age. My article today will share some facts to illustrate why this statement is accurate.

Are you aware that virtually everything today — from our perceptions, opinions and even our beliefs — is heavily influenced by the kind of information we are exposed to? Primarily, the social network platforms we use and read; and the movies and TV series we watch. Gone are the days when our opinions, perceptions and beliefs were shaped by personal experiences — as our parents and grandparents had the leisure to enjoy. So what information am I referring to and how are we really exposed to it? In one word: data.

Almost everyone today spends the majority of their time online (unless they are not connected, which is almost impossible). Be it at work, at home, or of course via your smartphone, the Internet is reachable 24/7 within your palms. From the moment you wake up in the morning until the time you go to bed, you can hardly avoid scrolling through social media networks — particularly Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube and X (formerly known as Twitter before Elon Musk took over the helm). This daily habit is destructive, addictive and unfortunately pervasive. You may think that the kind of information or data you are consuming is the same for everyone else (being neutral), yet it is not. The content you receive across different social media networks is specifically designed, personalised and fed to you by algorithms (as I briefly noted in my past articles).

Algorithms, in simple terms, are sophisticated systems that track what we view, like, comment on and even how long we spend on particular content — be it a video, audio, or plain text.

Let me share a practical example to validate the statement that our realities are not the same today. Using Instagram as an example, compare the content you receive via your Explore page with that of another person. You will notice they are not the same. Why? Because their Instagram reality is shaped by their searches, comments and the content they engage with. For example, if they are into restaurants while you prefer a healthy lifestyle, you’ll be presented (thanks to the algorithm) with content about health and wellness, while they’ll see posts about food and restaurants. You both use the same app, but you’re living in two different digital realities. The same scenario applies to all other social media platforms we depend on and are influenced by.

Is this a problem? It depends on how you look at it. It’s true that technology makes these realities more personalised than ever before. However, are you living in an informed reality — or one shaped and presented to you by an algorithm (created, developed and managed by organisations that wish to control, influence and persuade)? I’ll be curious to know your thoughts and whether such a reality bothers you for the control it may have on your perceptions, opinions, thoughts — and ultimately, your reality.

What you can do about it is what I will aim to share in my article next week. Stay tuned.