At this point in history of the USA, most adults (and many children) communicate to each other regularly through some kind of computerized device. I use a laptop and an iPhone. Others use tablets, Voip phones, watches, etc. These devices, and the apps on them, are our gateways to communicating, doing business, entertainment…and most anything else you can think of…(I still haven’t figured out the virtual “I need a hug” app, not sure there will ever be a virtual solution for that).

With more forums for communication it isn’t simpler, it is more complicated because “we” are collectively still figuring out the most effective way to use each app, forum, device and this takes time and experience.

Because of this, business communications and personal communications are intersecting and overlapping. Setting boundaries between what is personal and what is business is made harder…or at least takes more effort if you occupy the same space and use the same device to communicate during the day with family, friends and clients. After awhile they seem to blend together. 

This isn’t necessarily a ‘bad’ thing, per se. Actually, there is a lot of embedded integrity into this because you are geolocated through your device, and there are multiple ‘audit’ trails to everything one does online. One idea I’ve struggled with, though, is that the business system, i.e. the tax code, isn’t set up based on any moral principles, per se, but on rules to make the lines very clear. It is almost like the difference between a map, where the physical lines are very clear vs. real terrain where there is wind, sunlight, rain, humidity, pollen, etc. etc.

The main challenge for businesses, though, on the tax front, is that this can be complicated. The tax code doesn’t inherently mesh with natural business activity in this day & age. This makes reporting challenging to follow and makes decisions very costly or bountiful based on what is in the tax code. We might all be better served if the tax code were simpler…or complex enough to handle the full spectrum of digital life…but since we are dealing with the government, let’s go with simpler.