Last week I encountered 'augmented confusion' on three different occasions. I am not sure if it is an actual term or that I made it up...
What I mean by the term Augmented Confusion is that I sometimes do not remember if I met a person in real life or it has been a digital connection and when we interact I am totally confused if I actually know who I am communicating with... Last week I received messages from people via different communication channels (LinkedIn Direct Message, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp) who addressed me on a very personal and informal manner. And, my initial reaction was: that I did not know if I have met the person contacing me before and I was confused if my mind was playing tricks on me (read: suffuring mild amnesia) or that due to active social media activities these people know so much about me (and interact on such an informal and personal level).
![Augmented Reality providing additional information in real life.](http://vrworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/augmented_reality2.png)
It is (as if) our digital life is blending/converging with our real (offline) life and adds to the confusion. Hence my word/term: augmented confusion. As I try to be as open and honest as possible, I asked these people whom reached out to me if we actually have met in real life. And, lucky me, I am (still) not suffering from amnesia... I indeed did not met them in real life yet. Apparently I am so active digitally and invest so much in marketing that people (think they) have a good impression of me. And, one of the three people that reached out to me said my reputation precedes me and it made them reach out to me for a business proposal. And, in my reply in that conversation I used the term 'augmented confusion' for the first time to explain my confusion and ignorance about our relation.
I mutated the term Augmented Reality, which means: "an enhanced version of reality created by the use of technology to overlay digital information on an image of something being viewed through a device." 'My term' augmented confusion stayed with me and I was curious if it is an actual term. My google search did not yield anything worth mentioning. When we split the term and analyse both their meanings according to Merriam-Webster dictionary:
![Augmented Reality provided by mobile smart devices.](http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/5200e8edeab8eaff2e000029/ikeas-augmented-reality-catalog-lets-you-virtually-demo-its-furniture-in-your-living-room.jpg)
- Full Definition of augment
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transitive verb
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1: to make greater, more numerous, larger, or more intense <the impact of the report wasaugmented by its timing>
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2: to add an augment to (see 2augment)
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3: supplement <augmented her income>
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intransitive verb
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: to become augmented
![The art of confusion.](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CwNDaCYtA3o/UwkXx2J93oI/AAAAAAAANrg/0DpH4MUUiTs/s1600/theartofconfusion2014_transparent_950.png)
![Augmented Confusion created by social media](http://snag.gy/7sMdJ.jpg)
We can conclude that my team literally means: to make an instance of confusing even greater. This is definitely what I meant, but when considering I wanted to derive it from augmened reality, I prefer to explain the term augmented confusion as followed: "an enhanced version of confusion created by the use of technology to overlay digital information on a mental image or thought."
Please let me know if you encounter augmented confusion in your modern life!
Merry Christmas and a healthy & happy New Year!