Right now I am thinking of Trump, who said: „I could tell you the stupidest things, and you would applaud.“ Source: CNN
But first things first:
Do you know what that feels like? After a night you spent feeling more awake than asleep, you consult your fitness tracker and see: Excellent Sleep! 91 points out of 100, optimal phases, 0 minutes awake.
And you ask yourself: what is reality? Your perception that you were racking your brains during the waking phases, or the measurements of the clock?
You check your Instagram feed and see a picture of a person you know personally that looks like AI from 10km away, and that has 58.8K people liking it and 889 others commenting on it – including people you (personally) know and with whom you have had intelligent conversations.
And you ask yourself again: what is reality? Is your perception wrong and this image NOT AI (and humans have completely overhauled it since last year), or are you right and everyone applauding is doing so because…
Yes, but why exactly?
- Because they actually no Do you recognize that the image is artificial?
- Because they recognize that it is artificial, but they still Do you like it?
- Because they know the difference it doesn't matter is and they just like to applaud?
Let's do a test: You see my original image and two versions that have been AI-processed. When exactly does an image of me no longer really belong to me? And if a majority prefers a standard image based on certain criteria: what does that say about us as a society? About our values? Our tolerance? Our diversity?
- From when does it become „The clock says…“ one „Then I’ll probably be wrong“?
- And from „Everyone thinks it’s great“ one „I don’t like the real version of you/me/…“ ?
Of course, our perception can be deceiving. Of course, not everyone likes what I, you, and we like. But do we have to give up our perception and our truth because of that?
In my work with charisma, presence, and personal influence, I am constantly confronted with the same question:
- How well do I know myself – and how much do I rely on others to tell me who I am?
- How much am I willing to become someone else in order to get more approval?
My new book addresses these questions in depth, among other things. After all, how self-determined can I be in shaping my life if I have to be confirmed in my perception and appreciation from the outside?
At any rate, my watch says I’m well-rested… 🥱
