Social Media has become divisive and toxic. But group chat can unite us.
No matter who you are, it’s safe to say that the last few years have been…. difficult. 2020 seems to have been the culmination of a lot of things that have been brewing for a while. It’s trite to say that the global Coronavirus pandemic has changed our society, or that a trend towards divisive politics has led to outrage and civil unrest. At this stage, these things are self-evident. As a global society, we’re more divided and isolated than ever.
And social media seems to be the connecting tissue. The places that were meant to bring people together are suddenly pushing people apart. Platforms that prioritize algorithms over humans have affected the way we behave, and meaningful connections get lost in the mix. And as people begin to notice this, it’s hard to imagine that these platforms will create the change we want to see.
You all saw The Social Dilemma. And if you didn’t, you’re probably still somewhat aware that there’s a problem. And it’s about how we treat each other.
So then, the question becomes — what can we do about it?
This is what drives us every day here at Sphere. We believe (and hope) that the next generation of internet platforms are all thinking along the same lines. How can we put the focus back on the true magic and delight of communities? The answer is simple in scope but infinitely complex in execution. We’re here to bring people together. We’re here to unite.
We believe that we can build something incredible. So we have a plan, and it begins with chat. At Sphere, we’re building a chat app that transforms groups into vibrant communities. We’re starting with chat because it’s the foundation of how we all communicate online. That bonding is where it starts, and it’s what we’re naturally great at as human beings.
We have several tenets that we hold dear, and we believe that by focusing on these areas, we can bring community back — and build something delightful that focuses on truly meaningful connection.
The first principle: What we build has to bring everyone closer. Sending messages isn’t the same thing as being close. Whether you’re more of a lurker or the life and soul of the party in a group chat, we want to make it easy for everyone to be open, authentic, and even vulnerable — so that everyone feels comfortable joining in. Any given group should operate on a principle foundation of trust.
The second principle: It has to be fun! Communities operate on a spectrum, and it’s easy for them to either feel completely inactive or prioritise fun at the expense of becoming completely overrun and noisy. So we’ll give groups a way encourage both engagement and clarity.
Third principle: We want to give groups a way to get much more done. After all — it’s difficult to bond if your group is finding it impossible to organise projects and events. Your group existed in the first place to enjoy activities and events together, so you need a way to achieve these projects and bond in the same space.
From putting on socials, to setting up football matches, to making organisation structured, we’re letting loose on productivity.
These are just some of the keys to unlocking genuine, authentic, closer communities. We want to create a sense of real connection, and that includes concepts around empowerment, encouragement, contribution, simplicity, effective collaboration and psychological safety.
Ultimately, bringing people together in a community — from organising events to moderating conversation should be goals of the group, and not a few individuals.
As they say, it takes a village, and that’s what community is all about. That’s what Sphere is all about.
But how and why should you trust us? Why would we be the ones to fix this huge problem?
Well, we’re a group of thinkers and doers in London, UK. We’ve got folks in our ranks from companies as hugely respected as Summly (acquired by Yahoo!), Airbnb, Stack Overflow, Dropbox, Monzo, CoinDesk, Deliveroo, Facebook and Badoo. We’ve all helped to build and witnessed the transformative power of amazing communities. We’ve got years of experience doing exactly that.
An amazing community helps you transform as an individual. And now it’s time to step things up a notch by giving this power to everyone.
We don’t claim to have all the answers. We want to do this together. We want your help in realising the unfulfilled potential of the internet to bring everyone closer. So we’re inviting you to join our community forum, to give us your thoughts, your feedback, your feature suggestions, and your ideas. We need your help.
The future is ours to create, together. Join our waitlist to get regular updates on our progress, and join our community forum to help us build something incredible.
It’s time to fix the internet.
Sincerely yours, with passion, hope and ambition,
Simon (Sphere Community Manager) and Team Sphere ❤️
