Nodes of Community

👉 This is part of My Virtual Soulmate

The first wave of social media is breaking. Big platforms are no longer serving real connections - so what next? New forms of community and social interaction are emerging.

Evidence A: The Enshittification of Internet Platforms

“Here is how platforms die: First, they are good to their users; then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers; finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves. Then, they die.”

Spent much time on Facebook lately? Nah me neither. But do you still have an account? Me too. What once felt like a small universe curated has been replaced by a cacophony of ads, rip-off reels and rogue ‘suggested’ links - and yet the barriers to exit keep us locked into an empty user experience. It’s a prime example of the ‘enshittification’ of the largest internet platforms we use, as they subtly shifts away from being places where you talk to people you care about towards shells that create shareholder value.

Evidence B: Seeking Stronger Ties

Poolsuite’s Manor DAO invites a founding society to design a luxe guesthouse

The Concept Bureau identifies a shift from the past 20 years, which was built on weak social (media) ties - to the next being built on strong social ties. Now we’re seeing a lot of innovation happening around our families and friends, people embedded in our networks. DAOs (decentralised autonomous organisations) are all about co-investing in the same cause or mission that they care about, be it owning a basketball team or creating a comic book.