Why is consumer social exciting again?
What are the opportunities in consumer social today?
Some thoughts on the above, plus specific ideas & requests for consumer social startups 👇
What are the opportunities in consumer social today?
Some thoughts on the above, plus specific ideas & requests for consumer social startups 👇
Backing up: Why is there renewed interest in social?
1/ FB isn't vulnerable, but they can't nail everything, no matter how hard they try.
Plus, people will have 5+ social networks for different use cases.
2/ New social networks are created every decade.
1/ FB isn't vulnerable, but they can't nail everything, no matter how hard they try.
Plus, people will have 5+ social networks for different use cases.
2/ New social networks are created every decade.
Why are new networks created every decade?
1/ Teens drive culture—They don't want to listen to their parents music; They don't want their parents social network.
2/ Status—Fewer opportunities to gain status on mature platforms. You're never gonna get more followers than Kim K.
1/ Teens drive culture—They don't want to listen to their parents music; They don't want their parents social network.
2/ Status—Fewer opportunities to gain status on mature platforms. You're never gonna get more followers than Kim K.
A teen looking at Facebook today might look at it the way we look at MTV or AOL
FB has also become more passive. FB's own research shows that ppl are most fulfilled when they participate actively
"Participatory Social" (e.g. Robolox, Fortnight, Discord)
medium.com/@sarahtavel/th…
FB has also become more passive. FB's own research shows that ppl are most fulfilled when they participate actively
"Participatory Social" (e.g. Robolox, Fortnight, Discord)
medium.com/@sarahtavel/th…
This has gotten worse over time. As FB has continued to turn the dial up on engagement, its users have gotten less open & vulnerable.
Changes in degree became changes in type. FB is a fundamentally different product than it used to be.
This creates opportunity for new networks.
Changes in degree became changes in type. FB is a fundamentally different product than it used to be.
This creates opportunity for new networks.
Participatory Social also a response to helicopter parenting.
Earlier generations used to explore & wander IRL when they were younger.
Today's sheltered kids need to use digital outlets to construct & make up their own realities.
Earlier generations used to explore & wander IRL when they were younger.
Today's sheltered kids need to use digital outlets to construct & make up their own realities.
Social networks have messed w/ our privacy settings in more ways than one.
Everything is public now.
Partly due to outrage culture & "social highlight reels", there's a big pendulum swing back to private networks.
Everything is public now.
Partly due to outrage culture & "social highlight reels", there's a big pendulum swing back to private networks.
Andy Warhol said we wanted 15 minutes of fame, but we didn't know we were going to want (& get) 15 minutes of fame every single day.
The hope is that private networks will increase authenticity, vulnerability, meaning, & connection--which many users complain are missing today.
The hope is that private networks will increase authenticity, vulnerability, meaning, & connection--which many users complain are missing today.
Facebook is a lot like Walmart in the sense that it's just utility oriented, and it doesn't really speak to a particular audience.
So where to attack?
Go Vertical, Young Man.
Unbundle FB demographic by demographic
So where to attack?
Go Vertical, Young Man.
Unbundle FB demographic by demographic
Pick a vertical, go super deep on it, and throw on a monthly subscription early.
Which demographics?
Gamers, moms, comic book fans, fitness freaks, uber drivers—you name it.
Preferably demographics who can pay!
Which demographics?
Gamers, moms, comic book fans, fitness freaks, uber drivers—you name it.
Preferably demographics who can pay!
Vertical social networks bring back serendipity of the early internet, where you'd find fanatics just like you, before it got crowded with, well, everybody.
Other frameworks for thinking about ideas:
Ask yourself: "what can I build that Facebook or Twitter or YouTube structurally, cannot do?"
Examples: Something that doesn't fit their business model, or doesn't fit their privacy model.
Ask yourself: "what can I build that Facebook or Twitter or YouTube structurally, cannot do?"
Examples: Something that doesn't fit their business model, or doesn't fit their privacy model.
Concepts: to consider:
1/ Leverage Real World
FB digitized offline relationships.
Now, communities are IRL-izing online relationships.
every app eventually adds messaging, every app also eventually adds IRL h/t @gregisenberg (e.g. Raya)
1/ Leverage Real World
FB digitized offline relationships.
Now, communities are IRL-izing online relationships.
every app eventually adds messaging, every app also eventually adds IRL h/t @gregisenberg (e.g. Raya)
Concepts to consider:
2/ Focus less on engagement, and more on truth, depth, & curation.
The engagement arms race has become this zero sum attention war. Find a structural way to opt out of that zero sum game.
Ex: Wirecutter, Product Hunt
2/ Focus less on engagement, and more on truth, depth, & curation.
The engagement arms race has become this zero sum attention war. Find a structural way to opt out of that zero sum game.
Ex: Wirecutter, Product Hunt
Concepts to consider:
3/ Experiment w/ new formats or social mechanics (e.g Snap Stories, FB photo-tagging, Tweet)
Note: It's important that the new format spawns a new graph--new sets of vectors and relationships that incumbents can't copy.
3/ Experiment w/ new formats or social mechanics (e.g Snap Stories, FB photo-tagging, Tweet)
Note: It's important that the new format spawns a new graph--new sets of vectors and relationships that incumbents can't copy.
Concepts to consider:
4/ Experiment w/ growth mechanics.
Incentivize users to come to your platform by rewarding people economically & from a status POV for joining early (e.g Bitcoin, cryptokitties).
4/ Experiment w/ growth mechanics.
Incentivize users to come to your platform by rewarding people economically & from a status POV for joining early (e.g Bitcoin, cryptokitties).
Concepts to consider:
5/ Study how recent platforms emerged.
What enabled Instagram/Snap? Cameras on every phone.
Ask: "what new capabilities we have now that maybe we didn't have then?"
@rsg has an idea:
5/ Study how recent platforms emerged.
What enabled Instagram/Snap? Cameras on every phone.
Ask: "what new capabilities we have now that maybe we didn't have then?"
@rsg has an idea:
Concepts to consider:
6/ Figure out Reputation
Humans need reputation and portable identity
Someone will crack measurable specific high velocity work reputation identity that'll degrade the signaling value of Harvard
6/ Figure out Reputation
Humans need reputation and portable identity
Someone will crack measurable specific high velocity work reputation identity that'll degrade the signaling value of Harvard
Concepts to consider:
7/ Find new data sources or ones that haven't been mined yet and build networks on-top of them.
Examples:
a/ email
b/ screenshots
c/ podcasts
d/ wearables & health data (exercise, nutrition, moods)
e/ receipts
7/ Find new data sources or ones that haven't been mined yet and build networks on-top of them.
Examples:
a/ email
b/ screenshots
c/ podcasts
d/ wearables & health data (exercise, nutrition, moods)
e/ receipts
Concepts to consider:
8/ The tried and true Ev Williams framework:
"Take a human desire, preferably one that has been around for a really long time...Identify that desire and use modern technology to take out steps."
8/ The tried and true Ev Williams framework:
"Take a human desire, preferably one that has been around for a really long time...Identify that desire and use modern technology to take out steps."
Requests for Startups:
1/ Twitter for Money, or Social Network for Receipts.
Can autogenerate group chats around receipts.
Can create user profiles that express identity based on what people purchase (e.g. support this artist, donate to charity, etc)
1/ Twitter for Money, or Social Network for Receipts.
Can autogenerate group chats around receipts.
Can create user profiles that express identity based on what people purchase (e.g. support this artist, donate to charity, etc)
Requests for Startups:
2/ Twitter meets Quora:
2/ Twitter meets Quora:
3/ Twitter for audio that's more native to how people have real IRL conversations.
Request for Startups:
5/ Stock markets for ideas & things, or 21st century polling company.
5/ Stock markets for ideas & things, or 21st century polling company.
Zooming back out again: A downturn could actually be a boost to consumer social.
If the next big thing will come from what nerds build on nights & weekends, a recession means nerds will have more than nights & weekends to tinker & explore new ideas.
If the next big thing will come from what nerds build on nights & weekends, a recession means nerds will have more than nights & weekends to tinker & explore new ideas.
