As I continue to dig into how Gen Zs express themselves online, I applaud how unique and diverse they are, and proud to be, but what I also see as a common thread is: consistency. Or at least, the desire to stay consistent regardless of what online platforms they’re on.

It’s a pretty notable shift from how boomers, Gen Xers, and even millennials tend to present themselves across different social media platforms. The viral Dolly Parton challenge from early 2020 brought this behavior to light: it was a funny, relatable trend that proved how earlier generations were wired to show different versions of themselves across the internet:

On LinkedIn, you’re supposed to be professional. On Facebook, be family-oriented. On Instagram, be polished. On Tinder, be flirty…

While this might be a fun exercise for some of us, consider the number of online platforms available today. Curating separate identities for separate spaces can become tedious, and there’s only more to come.

Imagine a (virtual) world where the new generation can just be, and not have to think about how, based on the environment they were in? It’s possible. We just need to start building the right tools to support this. Because Gen Z doesn’t care about where they are, but about who they are…and they’re favoring products that back that: where they can be their most authentic selves, yet also have the ability to customize for the sake of creativity and self-expression.

It’s no surprise that Fortnite and Roblox are so popular among digital natives. I’m a big fan of what these games have done in terms of encouraging personalization and self-expression through custom add-ons like avatars, skins, and more.

But what I believe is still missing is the ability to act as your avatar and access your wallets beyond these closed metaverses. You can’t take a skin you wear on Fortnite to Roblox, for example, or can’t use your Robux (Roblox’s virtual currency) to purchase add-ons on Fortnite, and vice versa. There aren’t bridges that allow users to leverage their identities across different platforms, which would allow for richer user-generated experiences (I’ll dig in more on this soon…).

Our digital identity and possessions shouldn’t be owned and controlled by a single entity anymore. It should be decentralized and accessible regardless of where you are.

Food for thought.