Hi Social

Re-Imagining Social Technology

Benign Intentions, Now Lost At Sea

The original promise of a social internet was that we’d become more connected, and therefore more social — and therefore happier.

In the early days, it was beautiful. With new long range communications and the world wide web, finding like-minded communities and socializing became easier.

As per usual, enhanced technology enabled new applications.

Classic examples include email, early blogging, forums, and AOL Instant Messenger (AIM).

Then the social networks arrived.

At first, they were exciting and efficient, changing the way we connected to each other (ex. college campuses with Facebook in 2004).

But now about 20 years in, a major problem has become clear: too often, social media isn’t social!

We are spending vast amounts of time immersed in screens, living in the digital world.

This is making our personal and collective lives less happy, less healthy– and ironically– less social.

So what happened? It’s a complex story– with pros, cons, and billions of anecdotes.

But as a key inflection point, the iPhone was released in 2007.

Whereas personal computers, cell phones, texting, and the internet had already changed the world by the turn of the century, we now became online at all times.

With the rise of smartphones and mobile applications, we entered into a new epoch of hyperconnectivity.

What emerged in this next generation of the social internet was a 24/7 online lifestyle, and a blossoming digital universe centerfold in our society.

We’re in the midst of a revolution, and the dust has not yet settled.

A New Hope: Re-imagining Social

We are all connected — and yet feeling more alone, a paradox at the heart of the loneliness epidemic acknowledged in 2023 by the US Government.

Staggeringly, around 50% of young adults (18–24) say they’ve experienced some level of depression or anxiety in the last year.

The most popular answer people give for the number of true friends they can count on is “0”.

This is affecting all ages and demographics, and was exacerbated by the Covid pandemic.

Many good faith experts believe the way we are using technology, through things like digital social networks, is a major factor in this crisis.

When I was at UVA Law I met two award-winning computer science professors that became mentors and collaborators.

For about 10 years we’ve been tracking this problem and researching how technology is affecting society in an interdisciplinary research program.

Our research question was simple: Is there a different way to use technology?

Can we use technology in the background to make the real world more social?

Our work culminated in a white paper for a new kind of social network. This was the genesis of Hi Social.

Unlike today’s social networks, everything happens in the real world. Technology is simply an intermediary tool, and used as a background companion to where you are.

When you want to check in, Hi Social introduces people and groups IRL, naturally at the places they go.

Through re-imagining social technology, we can reinvigorate communities and will transform the way we connect.

We firmly believe everyone can have an exciting social life in the 21st Century. Our team is building infrastructure for in-person social, and plans to make good on the original promise of the internet.

Learn more at hi.social