Twitter is a social network where people often post when they're angry, snarky, curious, or self-promoting, among other triggers
Imagine a social network where people listened to music that made them feel relaxed or connected—and that was somehow native to the posting experience
or other iterations of social networks that would bring about better versions of ourselves by altering the environment or incentives
Yes also think campfires, listening sessions, late night philosophical conversations (clubhouse gets at some of this, but there could be text version too)
- Price is too high & rising
- Too much student debt
- Too many students dropping out
- Too many students underemployed
- Credential inflation
- Misaligned incentives on multiple levels
- Oligopolistic market dynamics prevent competition
TOO EXPENSIVE:
- Education costs have increased by 300% since 1980.
- Gov't spends 3% of GDP ($600B) subsidizing higher education.
- Incentives are misaligned such that the more gov't dispenses subsidies, the more expensive college gets.
TOO MUCH DEBT:
College debt is now ~$1.7 trillion (was $300B in 2000). Avg student is $40K in debt
Debt is now non-dischargeable in bankruptcy. If you don’t pay off loans by 65, gov't garners social security
Excessive debt leads ppl to delay having families and buying a house
Found a new favorite philosophy podcast, went to look up where the host did his PhD, & instead found this.
I'm endlessly inspired by the idea that people can gain world-class expertise w/o needing approval from traditional gatekeepers, & by the sheer force of will to get there.
I'm also inspired knowing that there are so many people out there doing jobs that don't fully harness their unique skillsets, and that with just a bit of community or capital or mentorship they could, like Steven, instead be doing what they're best suited to do.