Looking for humanness in the world wide social

Social networks have shaped me since a young age. Growing up at the beginning of the millennium, I used to spend my time in phpBB and vBulletin forums. There, I befriended internet strangers, started my way into graphic design, and learned about torrents. Forums were my favorite third places—little corners on the web where I felt a deep affinity.

I can still vividly remember the joy and excitement while exploring those discussion boards. The sheer amount of knowledge and people I’ve met in those places could not be found anywhere else. To this day I believe these experiences have profoundly shaped the path I’m still walking today.

But when I look at the current form of social media, it all feels dumb: watching adults post nonsense or praise “influencer gurus” while doom-scrolling from dusk to dawn seems absurd. We should have had more important things to do with our lives, yet we’ve all gotten caught up in this utopian-dystopian era.

The social archetype, once defined by its role in connecting like-minded strangers, gradually evolved into a space for staying in touch with friends and family. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have all initially focused on cultivating personal connections. However, this social identity grew into a behemoth over time—at a pace that now feels startling. With the rise of the new media model, social networks transformed from intimate bonfires into vast, crowded arenas while losing much of their original charm.

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