Invest In Social Infrastructure
Why online community isn’t enough
There’s a causal relationship between the decline of real-life social infrastructure and the shift toward toxic online communities.
I’ve always loved the Internet: I’ve learned new skills, made online friends, and tons more. But as we build apps for everything, we can’t let the physical world decay. Our current focus on convenience over thoughtfulness and quantity over quality is a short-sighted one.
Even if technology is saving us time and money now, no one actually wants to live in a world without social infrastructure.
Why is the physical world important?
Social infrastructure describes public, physical places that bring diverse people together in a shared space. Examples might be parks, libraries, malls, and public transit. It also includes busy sidewalks, popular coffeeshops, and school sports teams.
In places like these, people — especially kids — are socialized. They interact with people of all ages and diverse backgrounds. Some people might speak a different language, and many have private rituals different than their own. But public space requires people to create shared cultural norms in order to participate.
