Phygital Data Dress

Our virtual self

Phygital things live in a mixed-reality realm that allows visitors to experience an integration of physical and digital form. In the merge of these dimensions, virtual data represent an additional layer of the thing’s identity. This is different to how we transfigure our own identities through social media. The personality that we show on these platforms is generally a filtered and flattened product of our true selves, rather than an extension of it. It is deconstructed facets of our identity wrapped in a carefully woven cloak of anonymity that allows us to expose personal information at minimal risk. Online we can share data that is too raw to be presented in a face-to-face interaction. For instance, on community forums people leave confessions of shameful acts that would never have seen the light of day had they not been made incognito. However, this disguise of anonymity can be easily unraveled when we learn that we are no longer in sole possession of our personal data. When we close a browser window, it might feel to us that all data vanishes in cyberspace. In reality, it has been absorbed by the companies living there. It seems that we are not alone in this hiding place.

Our vulnerability

When we close a browser window, it might feel to us that all data vanishes in cyberspace. In reality, it has been absorbed by the companies living there. It seems that we are not alone in this hiding place. But even those who are aware of peeping eyes in the dark do not seem to feel exposed. So why do we feel safe in a realm that is so clearly a threat to our privacy? Perhaps it is because we experience such a distinct boundary between the material and digital environment. If our online persona is merely a render of a deconstructed self, then the traces it leaves are not transferable to the real world. That is to say, we cannot interpret the data without translation. By default, we are left clueless regarding the consequences of our online activity. In social relations, we can consciously seek vulnerability as we accept the consequential risks in light of potential social benefits. For example, we might trust a friend with sensitive information in hopes of receiving compassion, recognition and connectedness. In this scenario, we expect the data path to end at that friend.

Phygital self

This is in high contrast to when we are navigating cyberspace. It is arguably impossible to anticipate how our data evolves. We cannot analyze the risks, which inherently impedes our ability to feel vulnerable and drives us to present a highly controlled identity. Is there a way to experience a vulnerable digital identity without sight of what we share and with whom we share it? The ‘cloak of vulnerability’ is a phygital thing that mediates the flow of data between cyberspace and the physical world. We believe that tangible vulnerability exists here, at the cracks where the digital world seeps into the physical one. Therefore, we dare you to feel truly vulnerable as you face your virtual self being immersed into cyberspace.