Stuff we learned at Collision

Session in brief: The social media platforms that we know of today do not foster real community engagement.  Twitch’s chief product officer discusses the importance of prioritizing connection, community and continuity, through "tribal media." Verrilli began with an overview of the evolution of social media and how it was originally created to facilitate connection, communication and interaction between individuals and groups. However, over the years doomscrolling has evolved and a lot of us now spend less time connecting with each other and more time scrolling through negative or distressing content that can harm our mental well-being. Instead of just focusing on user engagement and time spent on platforms, Verrilli suggests that designers should prioritize building online communities that foster positive connections and meaningful interactions. He argues that platforms should be designed in a way that encourages users to engage with uplifting and inspiring content, not just negative stuff.

From Inga: "Social Media" is misleading because within these platforms, you are mathematically chosen to be a part of a group of people that think like you. Which is not like real-life socializing.  Tom Verrilli addressed the importance of enabling creators to create better community content.  This really conencted with me because it supports the idea that you can still have a meaningful connection with an audience, human-to-human.  I was already familiar with Twitch, but I'm interested in exploring more content and seeing how their creators engage with their communities.

From Marisa: I am very guilty of doomscrolling! I’ve been making an active effort to be more mindful when I do it, and it was why I was curious to check out Tom Verrilli’s talk on Design for community, not doomscrolling.  An interesting point that he strongly emphasized is the need for accountability in the tech industry. Designers should take responsibility for the potential harm caused by their creations. Metrics like user well-being and community building should be given more importance than just focusing on user engagement and time spent on platforms. By the end, it was clear that Verrilli is a strong advocate for a shift in design philosophy and I agree with his belief that we should focus on building community-centric platforms that promote positive interactions and well-being, rather than perpetuating the harmful effects of doomscrolling. It was really refreshing and inspiring to hear someone talking about making a positive change in the tech industry. His perspective encouraged a lot of self-reflection about my own social media usage and how I can promote a more positive and community-centered online experience for myself and my fellow online community members.

From Anna: This is not a new lesson for me, but it was a timely reminder that it’s important to cultivate and invest in personal interests- not only do they make life more enjoyable, they can result in creativity that then benefits your work. For me, this reminder led to more reading for pleasure, specifically more fiction. Not only does it make me happy to lose myself in a story, it's also led me to learn more about the role of storytelling in teaching and learning.