Growing up, I remember how our elementary school teachers—the culture setters—made it crystal clear what it took to get a gold star. And you know what? It worked. We were driven to achieve those gold stars. The same concept applied later on in high school when I was surrounded by nerdy kids—ironically the culture setters of my boarding school for “gifted” students—who loved playing Defense of the Ancients (DoTA). If you were good at the game, you were celebrated by your peers. And that made you want to play even more.
But what does this have to do with digital platforms and our modern world?
Humans are inherently social creatures. Whether it's in a physical classroom or a digital network like Twitter, we gravitate towards actions that are socially rewarded. It's an intrinsic part of who we are.
And in our current social media age, Twitter, Facebook, etc encourage us to post content that resonate with as many people as possible. It’s like a game, and we want to win, but is winning defined correctly?
Let's take a step back and consider what we value in our real-world interactions. We cherish relationships, community involvement, and contribution to society. But the most popular digital platforms today don't reflect these values.
What if a digital network could mirror the importance of our contributions to our cities, communities, and fellow human beings? Imagine a digital platform that tracks and celebrates these contributions, just as my high school classmates celebrated the players who were good at DoTA. Such a network would encourage more people to engage in socially rewarding activities, aligning with our intrinsic values.
Right now, many of us who want to be part of impactful networks feel stuck in platforms that encourage shouting controversial takes into the void. We yearn for relational, collaborative digital platforms that foster deep connections and encourage us to be our best selves. We want to support our fellow impact entrepreneurs, advance our goals, and do what we know is right.
We don't need digital platforms that focus solely on chasing clout or controversial takes. What we really need are platforms that bring out the best in us, reflect our real-life values, and foster collaboration and mutual support.
The social context, whether physical or digital, influences our actions. So, let's strive to join and build digital platforms that truly resonate with who we are and how we want to contribute to each other and the world.
It’s time to step away from digital platforms that pervert what “winning” means, and build ones that align it with our shared values of connection, contribution, and community.
Bring it on. Let's make this a reality.