Do you remember the day that “social networks” turned into “social media”?
We went from connecting with our friends over silly internet things to mind-numbing, highly commercialized mobile phone television but with Likes attached, so it feels “social”.
It's not fun.
It's not enriching.
It's not even social.
Problem one: social media represents us one-dimensionally.
The result: we resent our social media presence, but keep them because leaving for more enriching, healthy media would mean severing ties to others. Social media, positive or not, is a critical chokepoint that defines our identity to others.
The evidence that people want to express more about themselves is abundant.
Within Instagram, people are using Highlights as a makeshift way to showcase more of their interests and content that doesn't fit in the main feed. The boxes that Instagram allows you to post in are not enough.
Linktree and Bento are building entire businesses around the “link in bio” attempt to say to more about oneself.
It's a small band aid to the larger problem — and for that, we need a more ambitious solution: a new platform.
A place where people feel seen for who they are, not who The Algorithm wants yout be.
Problem two: We've shifted from “social networks” to “social media” — officially admitting that the apps we spend hours on are not meant to connect, but to monetize attention.
What does a platform look like if it's purpose is renewed as a connective tissue between people?