Recreating serendipity in social networks
Posted: February 15th, 2010 | 5 Comments »Social networks started on the past (classmates), moved to the present (Facebook), then the future (dopplr). Social networks used to be on people you knew (classmates), people you know more or less (Facebook), people you do not know (dating websites), they will soon also be about people you do not necessarily want to know.
At Lift Asia 09 we welcomed Jin-Ho Hur, CEO of Neowiz, a social network/gaming platform whose fundamental concept is that everybody can hide behind an avatar. Why? Because not knowing who the other users are is a feature! If you spend hours playing online games from the office, do you really want to share that with your network? And what about meeting people randomly like what happens at bars? This is not really covered by existing networks, hence the success of something like chatroulette that “generates one-on-one Webcam connections between you and another randomly chosen user” (NYT link).
I believe this is a trend, not only because it corresponds to a need, but because it is the only place where social networks can innovate under the current framework, where each positions itself along the past/present/future and friends/acquaintances/strangers dimensions.
The red bubble is where we have the less players at the moment. I expect to see many new services in the coming months, reproducing a phenomena that is omnipresent in our lives but mostly absent of online life: serendipity.
The fact these services are used & created by teenagers is also not very surprising. After all this generation seems to have lost many of the opportunities we had to connect randomly: the arcades have been replaced by Playstations, the rave parties have been forbidden, dating happens online rather than in bars, etc etc.
Excellent insight and analysis. Thanks.
Sometimes I feel all this technology stuff is crazy and is going to end up out of control. I am a photographer and it’s insane to be writing on a blog, socializing on facebook, chatting at twitter, digging on Digg, be present on forums…. I wonder when I will be able to stop thinking about this and have time to enjoy taking pictures!!!!
I am not against technology but what is going to happen to the future of true writers, critics, translators, musicians, designers,photographers, porn stars … when they sell us the idea that each person is able to be all in one?
The last nightmare> to interact with people I don’t want to, behind whatever avatar may be.
[...] nous a alors montré un schéma très intéressant qu’il a publié sur son blog sous le titre Recreating serendipity in social networks (Recréer les bienfaits du hasard dans les réseaux sociaux). Il s’agit de positionner les [...]
[...] trier l’information. En journalisme, on appelle ça l’heureux hasard et chez les geeks serendipity. Ce concept de souscription va prendre un certain temps à être assimilé, par ceux qui n’auront [...]
[...] nous a alors montré un schéma très intéressant qu’il a publié sur son blog sous le titre Recreating serendipity in social networks (Recréer les bienfaits du hasard dans les réseaux sociaux). Il s’agit de positionner les [...]