If a tree falls in the forest, did it really happen if nobody posts about it on social media?

One could argue that our digital self is slowly becoming much more important than our physical one. Think about it…

You tell someone a little bit about yourself, “I'm a black belt,” “I'm a skier,” “I'm a high finance broker,” but without any legitimacy to each of these claims as presented on social media, are you really any of these things? Sure, philosophical pundits will argue that you are each of these things, simply because you exemplify these traits within physical reality. But, if you aren’t a philosophical pundit, would you still think this way? It's almost as if, "no digital footprint, no you."

A sushi restaurant with, "the best sushi in the world," lacking any digital footprint holds very little chance at being successful for very long. Whether it be Yelp, Trip Advisor, or even a Facebook Business Page, all businesses require some medium to help facilitate mental (and digital) heuristics. “This place got 5/5 stars, it must be good!”

Does the same go for people, as well? Graduating from commerce, one could say that I had a bit of an inside look into what HR is looking for when hiring. If you possess, "unquestionably, one of the the best resumes, ever!" what do you think the first thing an HR Hiring Manager is going to do? Google you. It’s a fact, we all do it! Want to know a bit more about someone before actually interacting with them? Facebook them; creep them on Instagram; or see if they've got a Pinterest page...

It's becoming clear that digital mediums play a much more vital role in directing influence than our actual handshake does (for, how can you even give a handshake, if you can’t even land an interview?). Perception and perspective matters!

So, how much influence does our Physical Self play on our Digital Self? Insomuch as it is able to help fuel and propagate our digital identities.

How many selfies, Snapchats or scenic photographs have you taken just to share your experience with the rest of the world? 

If a tree falls in the forest, did it really happen if nobody posts about it on social media?

It's almost as if we don’t do things just to do them anymore, and the things that we actually do choose to do outside of social media are just seen as minor vacations before jumping back online. Unfortunately, despite all of us out there arguing against this paradigm, it does seem as though we've all, in fact, entered into our own episode of Black Mirror. 

Granted, I might be wrong — but I’m likely not. And if you're one of the few out there arguing against this rationale, I challenge you: delete all of your online accounts… see just how long you last!

—the digital 'evolution' has already begun.