"Kayfabe" is the practice of presenting the storylines and events in the world of wrestling as true to life. It's the suspension of disbelief that makes the motivations for what happens in the ring make sense. Back in Professional Wrestling's Golden Age of the 1980s, kayfabe was gospel- there was no two ways about it, if you were in the business, you were treating it as the real deal, 24/7. Hulk Hogan reallya near-superhuman American hero. Sgt Slaughter reallyturn his back on Old Glory. Yet in the modern era, it's becoming increasingly difficult to uphold kayfabe, especially when pro wrestling is in the spotlight and under scrutiny.Today, I'd like to take a closer look at kayfabe, and weigh up whether or not it truly is a "lost art."We're living in the Information Age; we have a wealth of knowledge at our fingertips, and can access centuries of human curiosity with the push of a button. However, many of us use smartphones and the internet for entertainment, and a large part of that is using it to follow the stars of sports entertainment on social media.Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other platforms- including, as I'm sure nobody wants to remember, the ill-fated Tout- have become increasingly important in pro wrestling in recent years. Some individuals, like Bully Ray's "Twittah Machine" gimmick, have based their entire personas around their social media activity. Certain angles and storylines have been fought and won on Twitter, as recent as Ronda Rousey's feud with the Bella Twins. Even WWE's policy and approach have been shaped by that little blue bird, with the Women's Revolution dating back to the "#givedivasachance" movement. As such, WWE talent have been expected to follow suit, with most having their own social media accounts to reflect their in-ring personas.For some competitors, social media has been of paramount importance to their appeal. One only has to look to current NXT champion, Tommaso Ciampa, to see social media- and to a larger extent, kayfabe- done to perfection. Ciampa has just three posts on his Instagram account, two of which are gloating about his success. He refused to sell his popular "Blackheart" merch on the WWEShop, because it was better for his character to deny fans the chance to wear his shirt. Ciampa lives and breathes his heel persona, and is rightfully despised for it.For other superstars, it's clear that social media isn't so beneficial. Take, for instance, Bray Wyatt- an individual whose character is known for his dark twisted ramblings and charlatan-like sermons. This gimmick doesn't exactly scream "Twitter user;" yet there he was, tweeting from the Lake of Reincarnation which, presumably, has a waterproof router down there along with his rocking chair and lantern. The problem here is that certain gimmicks benefit from upholding kayfabe, such as Wyatt's and Ciampa's- where they differ is in their themes, with Ciampa's character being a better fit for the modern age and feasibly using Twitter, whereas Wyatt's feels straight out of a 90s backwoods horror slasher. He has no place owning a smartphone, let alone checking in with regular updates.As much as WWE may sometimes want us to pretend their world is the only one that matters, it's simply impossible to ignore the real-life goings on that affect the industry. To return to the matter of social media, this matter reared its ugly head when Emma was released late last year. Many superstars didn't immediately react publicly, as is customary when a competitor is released, yet others- such as NXT upstart Lio Rush- took the opportunity to use the situation to further their gimmick. Rush took to Twitter, saying "I guess these are the things that happen when you're not TRULY ready for @WWEAsuka," prompting furious rebuttals from Emma's friends and coworkers; these included the aforementioned Bray Wyatt, who said "You ain't gonna make it here with the wolves, kid." Peyton Royce also weighed in, criticising Rush's lack of professionalism.Here, Rush was criticised for exploiting the situation and attempting to make light of an unfortunate situation (quite insensitively, too.) However, what he said made perfect sense for a heel character inSo, the question is, wherethe line drawn? If superstars are expected to both use social media and uphold kayfabe, what are they supposed to do when the two expectations are in conflict?A more recent example is the tragic news that former Universal Champion Roman Reigns has had to relinquish his title and go on hiatus to fight leukaemia. What followed his announcement at the start of the October 22 episode of Raw was a kayfabe-shattering outpouring of support from his fellow superstars, including former foes Braun Strowman and Paul Heyman.And rightly so, too- all storylines aside, the bond between wrestlers in the industry is one of the most well-documented and steadfast displays of solidarity in all of entertainment. It would be remiss of WWE to jeopardise that bond to further storylines and character arcs as they have done before, and we can only hope that this is a turning point for the business. Gone should be the days of "Eddie's not in heaven." Cashing in on tragedies was once WWE's modus operandi; instead, they can and should be used to bring the community of fans and performers alike closer together.It's more apparent than ever before that kayfabe doesn't hold the same weight that it used to. In the modern age, the illusion that "it's all real" just isn't feasibly possible to uphold anymore. Social media and life in the public eye are two things that often go hand in hand; we can only hope WWE allows superstars the freedom to express that relationship in a way they're comfortable with, not just in a way that pushes an agenda.