# One Okan, Multiple Personas By [OFK Hashes it Out](https://paragraph.com/@ofk-hashes-it-out) · 2023-01-19 --- ![I swear my wardrobe choices are better than this thumbnail.](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/a061719fed082f47464ce04340ec8f42c82c26cd32856fa4b329d2402e3c59d5.png) I swear my wardrobe choices are better than this thumbnail. Wouldn’t you agree that we all have various personas? Citizen Okan, Student Okan, Colleague Okan, “Son” for my parents or “Bae” for partners and none of them are the same. They are all part of me but definitely have their own perks and demons. Here’s what I also love about our personas; they can evolve, adapt and interchange based on circumstances; “Friend Okan” may be an indoor cat but since “Professional Okan” has a sales job; he has to be the life of the party. These are all parts of my personality that I choose, control, and decide when and where to show. The problem with a lot of web2 platforms is that they don’t see the user as a “person” nor a “persona” per se. We’re just an email or a phone number. A single data point in a stream of endless data points with no unique aspect, a tiny momentary speck within an indifferent pool. On top of this burning pile of poo, there’s also the matter of consent; I can switch between “Friend Okan” and “Professional Okan” due to circumstances because I have the power to do so. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for these platforms; it’s usually the case where platforms force your hand to accept TOC -each one penetrating into your rights more than the previous version- in order for you to continue to use the service. You’ll give Netflix your email, phone number, credit card, and home address without hesitation. Just to watch Wednesday. Yet, if you want to opt-out of giving any of these pieces of information you wouldn’t be able to use the service. Another problematic point of this exchange is; there’s nothing special or personal for you in this journey. You could’ve mistakenly clicked on Wednesday and in reality, you’d only prefer watching comedy but since you already signaled Netflix to learn from this click, you’re labeled as “Someone who likes horror”. So what can we do to improve this journey? Imagine a setting where all of your different digital personas can be combined to create a universal persona with full autonomy; Instead of sharing bits and pieces of your limited previous personas, you can utilize your universal persona to the limits that you see fit. On top of which, unlike the dusty file cabinets of web2 your data isn’t stored anywhere. It’s merely utilized with your permission to better understand who you are and what you like. The rest is the creation of this persona which allows you to consume personalized, curated content. Content that you’re most likely to align with and enjoy consuming. Rather than pushing a platter of content into your face and hoping you’ll like one of them. I believe that over at [FirstBatch](https://www.linkedin.com/company/firstbatchxyz/) we’re seeing the world through more unapologetic eyes. All of these web2 platforms see the user as a product and capitalize on their data one way or the other. In our case, we see this journey as it is; Okan wants to consume more relevant content. Not Okan’s mail or his phone number but his entire person and that’s worth something. That’s why this “utopian” idea of a universal persona carries a lot of potential. Scratch that, it’s not a utopia, we’re building it and I’m happy to say that it’s going to revolutionize the way we perceive the “end user” Your online personas (social media accounts - Twitter, Reddit, etc) are like your garden. You tend to it, grow it, water it and enjoy spending time there. We accept that fact as is. Instead of taking on a Goliath and aiming for an unrealistic goal of replacing Twitter, we strive to sit on its shoulders by utilizing it's tech to provide an even better personalization. Thus utilizing your socials on your behalf (while still not storing your data) to generate your own unique persona is the first step to creating a new, better, and much more user-centric pseudo “end user” where this time you have all the power. Give consent to platform A but not B? Sure thing Only see crypto news, just like your Twitter rather than a platter of trial and error? You got it Align with other projects and individuals that share your interests? Most definitely Participate in exclusive activities that are only available through accountable methods of verification? Finally, a way to surpass bots This is how we envision the end user; someone in charge of his data and isn’t afraid to utilize it to get a better user experience. Empowerment never felt so good. --- *Originally published on [OFK Hashes it Out](https://paragraph.com/@ofk-hashes-it-out/one-okan-multiple-personas)*