Exactly on point and I really like the term "micro-society". Desire of community is very strong due to the hollowing out of our institutions and societies over the past 20-30 years from the tech transformation.
People yearn for a physical space to share what is interesting and meaningful to them without being censored all the time the egregore. Universities/Clubs/Societies/Churches used to be that space.
It's very reassuring to see these signs that the tech singularity is not inevitable and that the internet is not going to supplant real life. Human Nature is real, meatspace is real, our need for meaningful face-to-face interaction and relationships is real, and the metaverse is not. It's great to see tech beginning to take its proper place as the servant of our shared Humanity, rather than its illegitimate master, with the internet serving as a catalyst for real-world social interaction instead of a hollow substitute for it.
Here's to finding our way out of the matrix into the real world! Finding the sweet spot on the bell curve of technology is one of my goals. Too little and we suffer....too much and we suffer differently. We could use Goldilocks right about now.
Great article BJ, and I think you are on to something. My move to your Slack was based on my last "Hetrodox" group experiencing its latest scissor moment and shedding users. It is a difficult balancing act providing space for different versions of truth. You are doing well in moderating the maelstrom of the different versions and not picking sides. I am looking forward to hopefully seeing the Jonathan S. article at some point on here as it is a thoughtful divergence from my usually thinking pattern. I don’t think I am driving out to Georgia though. :P
I see the entirety of our society going through a repeat of the Great Depression, only this time with a simultaneous holy war of wokeness on top. I hope your vision of the future is better than mine...
Noah Smith recently wrote about "horizontal" communities (mostly in person, often place-based) and "vertical" communities (whose participants mostly are remote from one another, from times where people exchanged letters to the Internet era).
I don't know how that relates to your musings here about "micro societies" and about how people crave membership in social groups ("the new tribe"). And might drive or fly long distances to join parties and other gatherings with people with whom they share commonalities.
Just sharing this in case you may spot any connections, or his post might spur yet more ideas!
“… a heterodox version of the New Yorker…l
Ah, genteel impotence. Did Claire wax lyrical about her love for COVID concentration camps?
Musicians who formerly made money selling their recordings experienced this same epiphany a decade or two ago.
Exactly on point and I really like the term "micro-society". Desire of community is very strong due to the hollowing out of our institutions and societies over the past 20-30 years from the tech transformation.
People yearn for a physical space to share what is interesting and meaningful to them without being censored all the time the egregore. Universities/Clubs/Societies/Churches used to be that space.
It's very reassuring to see these signs that the tech singularity is not inevitable and that the internet is not going to supplant real life. Human Nature is real, meatspace is real, our need for meaningful face-to-face interaction and relationships is real, and the metaverse is not. It's great to see tech beginning to take its proper place as the servant of our shared Humanity, rather than its illegitimate master, with the internet serving as a catalyst for real-world social interaction instead of a hollow substitute for it.
this feels like a more positive version of “the only winning move is not to play”
I think you're right. Unherd.com is doing this in the UK. It's not just an online publication, it's talks and now has its own pub.
If my throwing money at your grift helped prompt that question, my continued presence on this planet has been rewarded. Keep hope alive. More parties.
Here's to finding our way out of the matrix into the real world! Finding the sweet spot on the bell curve of technology is one of my goals. Too little and we suffer....too much and we suffer differently. We could use Goldilocks right about now.
Great article BJ, and I think you are on to something. My move to your Slack was based on my last "Hetrodox" group experiencing its latest scissor moment and shedding users. It is a difficult balancing act providing space for different versions of truth. You are doing well in moderating the maelstrom of the different versions and not picking sides. I am looking forward to hopefully seeing the Jonathan S. article at some point on here as it is a thoughtful divergence from my usually thinking pattern. I don’t think I am driving out to Georgia though. :P
Thanks for coming :)
It was great to meet the two of you, and thanks so much for the shout-out!
I see the entirety of our society going through a repeat of the Great Depression, only this time with a simultaneous holy war of wokeness on top. I hope your vision of the future is better than mine...
Noah Smith recently wrote about "horizontal" communities (mostly in person, often place-based) and "vertical" communities (whose participants mostly are remote from one another, from times where people exchanged letters to the Internet era).
https://noahpinion.substack.com/p/vertical-communities
I don't know how that relates to your musings here about "micro societies" and about how people crave membership in social groups ("the new tribe"). And might drive or fly long distances to join parties and other gatherings with people with whom they share commonalities.
Just sharing this in case you may spot any connections, or his post might spur yet more ideas!