Notice
This obituary records the passing of Shared Reality, which fragmented over time and was last reliably observed when consensus was still considered possible.
The exact date of death cannot be established. Accounts vary.
Life
Shared Reality was never perfect, but it was functional.
It allowed disagreement to occur within a common frame. Facts could be contested, but their existence was generally acknowledged. Evidence mattered, even when inconvenient. Language retained enough shared meaning to support deliberation.
People argued about what should be done, not whether anything had happened.
This was sufficient.
Early Strain
Stress fractures appeared gradually.
Information multiplied. Authority dispersed. Trust thinned. Competing narratives emerged, each claiming completeness while rejecting contradiction.
These developments were initially described as pluralism.
Pluralism requires boundaries.
Those boundaries eroded.
Fragmentation
As shared reference points weakened, reality began to diverge.
Events were no longer disputed solely in interpretation, but in occurrence. Evidence was accepted selectively. Verification became optional. Contradiction was reframed as bias.
Multiple realities coexisted, rarely intersecting.
This arrangement was described as freedom.
Acceleration
Technological systems optimized for engagement proved effective at reinforcing fragmentation. Familiar narratives were amplified. Dissenting information was filtered. Exposure narrowed.
Consensus became inefficient.
Correction became adversarial.
What Remains
Fragments persist.
Within communities, shared reality still functions locally. People agree on what they see, feel, and experience together. These islands of coherence are meaningful and sincere.
They are also isolated.
Context
The loss of shared reality did not halt decision-making.
It altered it.
Without a common frame, coordination degraded. Accountability blurred. Outcomes became harder to evaluate and easier to deny.
This proved advantageous to some.
Acknowledgment
Shared Reality is survived by those who continue to reference evidence, context, and verification, often without reciprocity.
They are frequently described as stubborn.
Closing
Shared Reality did not require agreement.
It required only a willingness to begin from the same facts.
Its absence has made disagreement permanent and resolution optional.
This obituary exists to note that such a beginning once existed.
