What you admire says more about you than about them

Digital identities changed the nature of admiration. Now you admire a curated, filtered and optimized version of someone — or a character that doesn't exist at all. Augmented reality makes it possible for a brand to build an aspirational icon that never ages, never fails, never disappoints.

The problem is that real admiration doesn't work that way. You don't admire someone because they're perfect. You admire them because in something they do or say you recognize something you want to be — and aren't yet.

That requires imperfection. It requires that the distance between you and that person is real but crossable.

What you admire is a map of what you want to be. Brands that understand that don't build idols. They build mirrors.