I think social interaction is just us donning a series of different masks anyway, so the concept of authenticity seems to be point at something nebulous at best

I think social interaction is just us donning a series of different masks anyway, so the concept of authenticity seems to be point at something nebulous at best. Am I less authentic when I’m on an antidepressant that helps me cope with life? Am I less authentic if I’m forcing myself to be polite to a coworker I don’t like? Am I more authentic when I’m alone and dancing to some song I like? This reminds me of some content analysis research done on leaders. It basically splits the private life (journals, etc), public life (meetings, conversations) and the performative life (speeches, etc). I guess one could argue that the only time we approach authenticity is when speaking to ourselves...