Episode 2 - What if... We would now stop?

Stop with all the networking and networks, communities and sharing, allowing ourselves to stop, getting away and get our lives going?

What if we’d all do that? Then what?

Last week I wrote this chapter of what-if thinking about the online, asking myself what if the online isn’t the future, after all. It turned out a bit quirky moreover dull and technical, approaching online businesses, online business models, digital media and the idea of us being media.

Some theoretical considerations that later I thought it might not be that interesting, after all. I threw the text away, but I’m coming back to it. I can’t stop but wonder that I might be right, online is an essential part of our lives; otherwise, I wouldn’t be here sharing my thoughts with you...

However, aren’t we all maybe a little bit too enthusiastic with the online promise of a better, closer, interconnected, free world?

Today is the world day of bullying prevention. I believe that this day being part of a world-wide calendar must mean something. This morning I got in touch with this new social media app called Telepath.

The founders state that they want to avoid the promises and failures from previous social networks. On Telepath, everyone uses their real names and can change ideas on infinite thread conversations, almost like texting, even if this text will only last 30 days.

Real names, empathy and moderation: the app verifies mobile numbers associated with a genuine mobile carrier. So much for the fake emails or even those, we all have to avoid advertising and pointless messages. No such thing here, as they only ask us name and mobile phone.

It was my morning experience. Sooner than expected, I was back to Twitter talking about this new social networking experience with real people I know from real life.

And this is why online is just a fraction of our lives, part of our future and not the future itself!

We desperately need social connections, we feel the need to share ideas with others, and even if we don’t care about social validation at the end the day, we do want someone else to share something with... Online, but mostly, in real life.