The Futures Company

Jo Phillips writes:

A complication of identity as a result of the proliferation of online communities is identified today by the BBC. Some (particularly the famous) engage others to manage/update/improve their online presence on social networking sites such as Facebook or in MMORPGs. This goes beyond design services such as Pimp my Profile, to a more fundamental level of identity outsourcing. Another example is blog ’shadow writing’ – for example Sarkozy’s campaign blog was written by technology entrepreneur Loic Le Meur.

But there are some quite subtle issues here. Journalists routinely ghost-write celebrity autobiographies, and we are used to the idea that speeches and articles are drafted by others. The question seems to be about authenticity. In which case: what it is about online media which requires higher standards of trust and transparency than more traditional channels?