Death of the social web
There's an interesting idea going around that the social web, aka. Web 2.0, and all the sites of that time in the 2000s was just an anomalous, transitionary period between the early internet and the steady-state internet we’re on the cusp of entering now.
The big networks certainly aren’t doing great: Facebook’s growth is stalled, Instagram is killing people literally and their self-esteem, Twitter is exploring how deep the cesspool goes, and Reddit was just feeling some FOMO and decided to alienate their community and IPO while they were at it.
One is an accident, two a coincidence, three a pattern, and four means write a blog post?
The prospect of these large social networks dying is quite sad for me. I remember the halcyon days and how fun they were. I think most people have similarly fond memories if they were also there.
The private, small chat groups and networks that many believe is the future are great but they lack the serendipity and feeling that you’re a part of something bigger. They’re the intimate concert but I still want the stadium show! Why can’t we have stadium shows?!
I think we can, and I think we will.
Several billion people didn't simultaneously have a brain fart in the 2000s. The large social network is something people love. We love hanging out in big groups, talking about things we like, learning from different people, seeing how others live. This is human nature.
But we’ve been bad lately. We're not doing so hot as a society or as individuals. The world has been changing for the worse and life’s been getting harder for most of us. Peaceful and prosperous times have a way of devolving like this. Ancient civilizations have observed it for centuries, calling the cycle a saeculum, or age, as in “The Middle Ages.” Usually a war unites people at these times but nuclear weapons make that an unappealing idea. Absent an external enemy, we find fights closer to home; and absent guns we fight with words. Welcome to the culture wars! and the media battleground, including social media.
The better way to think about the social web is a big city. New York in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s was going through a bad time. People were struggling economically, crime was rampant, the police was understaffed, and government was corrupt. It was bleak, but even at it’s worst, you wouldn't have said it was the end of New York or the idea of big cities in general. People like being with people and we can do a lot when we live close together, in a city or online.
Today’s social web is New York in the 70s. Fires are burning, the headlines are sensational, and people are pointing fingers. Fire spreads though, and when the fires in our society reach everyone's doorstep there will be no time to point fingers. This will be the beginning of the shared experience that unites us to overcome our (now) shared problems.
We are definitely in a Dark Age for the social web, but there’s a Renaissance coming and when it does I'll be there to post again!