Authenticity Begins at Imagination

You see the seared steak in front of you and smell char as you slice into the middle. As you pick up the piece of cut steak you think, “Yes, this is really a steak. Although I know it’s not. It’s not a steak yet that is what I see, smell, and taste.”

In my efforts to explore everyday I have come across three different areas where describing what is “authentic” leaves many struggling for answers.

Tourism is of key interest to me for the ability to help destinations economically, educate visitors, and study globalization. However, industry stakeholders and digital influencers constantly talk about “real tourism” and “authentic experiences”.

If you are traveling and experiencing a present moment, how is it NOT real?

In the virtual world the ability to transport someone’s senses via VR/AR is counterbalanced by the person’s mental ability to “leave” their current environment and arrive somewhere new.

Which is “real”, your current physical space and body, the environment you are now mentally in, or both?

In applied ethnographic research, the debates range from “Who is an ethnographer?” to “What counts as ethnography?” to “Is ethnography a watered-down methodology?” or “Do ethnographers need to be physically present or can they telecommunicate their work?”

What is “real ethnographic work” versus pure nomenclature?