“You idiot”. Such a remark can be an expression of closeness between friends. If, on the other hand, the same sentence is uttered to a boss, it can lead to dismissal without notice, a police officer to a hefty fine, or a stranger on the street to a black eye.
Communication and how we present ourselves must be renegotiated with every encounter. Every context requires us to show a different face, or at least in a different light.
Thanks to the new communication channels of digital media, we now come into
contact with potentially hundreds of people. A circumstance that seems to
completely overwhelm us. To make matters worse, the algorithms of the major
platforms do not necessarily encourage the best behavior.
It’s complicated.