Authenticity vs Transparency.
A common error I see online is the conflation of authenticity and transparency. In general, if I see someone using the two terms interchangeably, I assume they don’t understand either concept.
Transparency is a lack of obfuscation. To be transparent is to make information publicly available, to a significant (but not complete) degree.
Authenticity, as I define it, is predictability mixed with honesty. “Authentic” actions are those which wouldn’t surprise a fairly familiar observer, while “inauthentic” ones fall outside of the persona projected on the actor by outsiders.
Authenticity is a judgement based on assumptions without complete information, regardless of how popular a buzzword it has become. Transparency is an attempt to avoid mistaken assumptions, by providing enough information that people will understand your actions and motives.
This post owes a debt of inspiration to The Authenticity Hoax, which I finally hunkered down and read this weekend while cottaging. Highly recommended.
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