The future of the "Live Social Internet" - a thread

We were promised the "live" internet - massively synchronous, participatory, expressive and social spaces. So we could connect with people who share our niche interests.

Instead we got passive, 1-to-many, broadcast, media spaces. More zero-sum, focused on passive consumption and "anti-social".

If we're all shouting into the ether, we're not actually having a conversation.

There is incredible power in connecting with people who just see you and get you. I found community several times in Neopets, early Tumblr and in online games. I now find this community within the comments section of Tiktok as a sidebar to the main experience.

The next wave of social will be participatory, collaborative and synchronous. It will be more than just one person doing stuff. Everyone will be a participant and a collaborator. It will be public and support many-to-many conversations.

7-13 year olds today are pointing the way as they find camaraderie inside synchronous and participatory experiences like Roblox through an endless array of player created games to experience with friends and strangers.

I'm also excited by the potential for social audio. Clubhouse, Locker Room and even @getjellyHQ point to audio being a magical medium for conversation, connection and spontaneity. And they are getting us closer to the "live" internet we were promised.

But we're not quite there yet. We're still in the era of performative, broadcast social.

I'm intrigued by what's next for the new wave of the live social internet. I'm curious about how intimate, small group conversations fit in with large shared experiences. I'm curious what role shared context plays within conversations.

And I'm curious about how to support camaraderie, creators and community as people bond over common interests and fandoms.

I'm building something new in public and am looking to collaborate on these ideas. Hit me up. DMs are open.