“Cursor Chat” communication in Figjam
It has truly never been easier to stay connected with people. Thanks to social media, I can learn what just about anyone has been up to (the edited version). But the digital age has created a paradox for us: it is easier to form and maintain superficial connections with others, but it is also so much harder to form and maintain meaningful connections. And with Valentine’s Day around the corner, now is the time to celebrate all human connections, platonic or otherwise!
We are starting to see research efforts and new services popping up to help foster deeper connections in the digital age. These efforts follow quite a range of different strategies so let’s dive into some of the front runners.
Dating apps have skyrocketed in popularity lately. They all tend to have the same mechanic: you scroll through other people’s profiles and can start a conversation if there is mutual interest. These apps have worked well for kickstarting relationships, so Bumble asks why we can’t do the exact same thing for platonic friendships.
The concept behind The Nudge is simple: get notified about things to do in your city right now. The app curates local events, activities, and experiences, then sends perfectly timed notifications to encourage users to participate. According to The Nudge:
Most tech companies are empowering us to be lazy: To binge rather than see a concert, post a comment rather than call, or scroll social media rather than talk to our roomie.
They use the same notification structure that normally gets you back on your phone to get you out into your city. They hope to use that habitual response to notifications that we’ve developed to get people out and making connections in person.
Ambient Co-presence is the experience of being around others without directly interacting with them. It’s riding the bus next to a stranger, waiting in line at the grocery store, or standing at a crosswalk with someone.