Original title:The New Social tech stack

Compilation of the original text: Haillsman, chain catcher

Compilation of the original text: Haillsman, chain catcher

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Traditional social media is a "bad show"

In the current social media environment, a handful of large platforms command the majority of our data and attention. It is clear that they have used this monopoly power to the great detriment of users, other companies, and society as a whole.

These issues have finally been placed on the public agenda recently, and once they enter the public consciousness, there is the potential for eventual change.Humane TechLike Humanities Technology (The Social Dilemma) is aiming to change that, with its Netflix feature film The Social Dilemma (

) to help the public recognize that the essence of social media today is a company seeking to maximize shareholder profits rather than user value, and the negative impact of its authoritarian control on society.The current monopoly of social media groups, from Facebook to Tencent, may seem "too big to fail" in terms of network effects and sheer user base. However, due to the deteriorating user experience coupled with pressure from new entrants, governments, NGOs and the existing public, there may be a tipping point where we will see a massive influx of users into the “new society”.

At the same time, we've seen a flurry of new companies looking to rebuild social media architecture from the ground up, realizing just how much thought is needed when it comes to the digital commons and the new "information superhighway."

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emerging social platform

At this point, the new society has begun, and its early iterations and building blocks begin to emerge. We can already describe some of these different building blocks and elements, with the caveat that we don't yet know how they fit together, and on what timeline.secondary title

Community

Community

• As it stands now, online communities do look like the future of social media. Not only has there been a significant increase in group engagement in traditional social (e.g. Facebook is also increasingly focused on groups), but we are seeing online communities spanning a range of different platforms, from messaging apps (e.g. Telegram, Discord) to Mighty Networks and more New Social Platforms. Data platform GWI offers more insights into this megatrend:

• Brands are increasingly using online communities: In 2019, 75% of large organizations worldwide had some kind of online community.

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Many of the online communities discussed above have opted for an independent platform, which offers them more freedom than traditional social networking and more sophisticated functionality than messaging apps. For example, a company focused on hosting online communitiesHivebriteorMighty Networks, and online activity-centricHopinandBizzaboo。

andBlindSocial products are similar in that they provide ample infrastructure for the community, but they are product-centric. Examples include anonymous professional social networksCoFoundersLaband entrepreneur social network

. These products allow different communities to connect, interact and create value for each other. On Blind, thousands of users share professional information in an anonymous environment, allowing them to share things they couldn't before (while using their official names). CoFoundersLab is a great example of a community formed around a purpose (building a company and finding co-founders) and supported by a product (profiles, matching, etc.).Although social platforms and products are implemented in different ways, one thing in common is thatThey enhance social interaction through technology and products

The economics of new social platforms revolve around value creation before getting a slice of the now bigger pie. A shift towards people-centredness and co-creation of value is the foundation of the new society.

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new social tech stack

From the developments outlined above, we can begin to describe what layers of technology are required for the new society envisioned above.Persona”。The main entities we consider are users and communities (currently excluding autonomous software agents). They interact through different protocols or algorithms, which are composable and interoperable. Importantly, users are in control of their data and selectively decide what they share with other users, communities, and algorithms. The intersection they share is what we call "

We can think of it as an avatar that can appear anonymously, under a pseudonym, or even completely transparently by carrying its own text.

• The protocols and algorithms required for new social networking can be divided into the following main layers:

• User Layer (Wallets, Credentials, User Data)

• UX layer (platform, interaction, experience)

• Computing layer (ZK system, AI, reputation model, etc.)

• Currency/legal layer (value distribution and exchange)

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User Layer: Autonomous User Data

• In the "new social" technology stack, the closest to the user is the user layer. In the new paradigm, user data is owned at the edge, not within the application or platform. One can imagine a "personal data closet" containing all relevant user information. It's amazing how large our data footprint has grown, consider the following data that can all be contained:

• Credentials (identifiers, badges, certificates, etc.)

• Behavioral and Personal Data (everything under GDPR)

In the "new social" tech stack, all this data is owned by the user. Encryption-protected data locks selectively share data with approved users, communities, or algorithms, creating a unique persona for each interaction. This interactive version is also described as "self-sovereign identityself-sovereign identity”, which means that users have sovereignty over their online identities (their data footprints).

In the future, the user layer can be powered by zero-knowledge technology and secure multi-party computation (SMC), which will enable data proofs and computations on shared data without compromising privacy.

UX Layer: Communication and Collaboration

The UX layer of the "new social" tech stack is where all the products and platforms described above reside. It is a place where users communicate and collaborate with each other through different media. Communities are typically embodied in one or more social products or platforms, providing a governance (and currency) framework for user interaction. In this sense, the UX layer can be described as a bridge connecting all layers into a concrete user experience. Most users will only know the UX they are interacting with on a given product, not the other layers in the background that make the experience possible.

Compute Layer: Access and Reputation

The computing layer will be about how characters are connected to each other. Users connect their data closets, especially their social graphs, to the UX layer. This enables them to interact with others as characters in the context of a particular community. These interactions tend to take place in the context of a particular community, or at least a particular new social platform or product. The computation layer specifies which communities and which spaces within those communities any given Persona can access. Likewise, personas may have different reputations in different communities or platforms.

Both access and reputation have a strong impact on governance and currency levels. In this way, the computing layer also extends its role to the governance and currency layer in the context of a specific community/platform/product.

Superlinked connects the user layer to the computing layer, powering the "new social" user experience.Superlinked is a great example of a company operating in the New Social tech stack:Users control their social graph (and other data) across platforms and products

, which is consistent with the user layer in the self-sovereign identity pattern. Users can connect their social graph with any given platform, but always own and control their own data.

With the increased computing power provided by Superlinked, these social platforms and products can improve the quality of engagement, thereby creating value. Superlinked allows "new social" platforms to create more value for their users by enriching interactions with social intelligence.

Web 3 adds two new layers to the new social technology stack

asasAs explained, we also see that cryptocurrencies or "social tokensocial tokenThe emergence of tokenized communities in China. The fundamental shift is that blockchain-based tokens provide online communities with a new way of monetizing and distributing ownership. This new capability could eventually also provide new social platforms power,Make users co-owners of the platform

, allowing the community to profit through their own tokens. We call this additional layer the currency/legal layer.Once every stakeholder holds tokens, another layer opens up:Governance

. All relevant stakeholders can now collectively make decisions about how the currency/legal layer evolves, and any other type of decision from product to staffing. We’ve seen a range of different mechanisms—from one person, one vote to liquid democracy—used to govern digital platforms and communities. This innovation is made possible by the growing popularity of smart contracts and ready-to-use frameworks. The governance layer is connected to the currency layer through governance mechanisms, usually powered by tokens or NFTs.

While previous technologies have also been embedded in monetary/legal and governance structures, these are provided by the respective jurisdictions without debate. In Web 3, they become part of the technology stack.In Web 3, more and more products have their own communities that collectively own the product through tokens. The components they use for communication, decision making and monetization are all open source, composable and interoperable.

At all times, user information and funds are self-custodial through the user's Web 3 wallet, not the platform.

Currency/Legal LayerAs mentioned above, the monetary/legal layer involves assets, cash flows, and contractual agreements for different communities and actors. From ad revenue to influencers and a growing creator economy, there has been a clear trend in social media to be more closely tied to the flow of money. We expect that in the “new social” technology stack, these money flows will become more transparent and available to users. For example,Users can optionally monetize their data and get paid for actions such as curation and engagement.

At the same time, they will own parts of the communities and platforms they participate in.

Governance layer (decisions and rules)

In New Social, most communities and platforms will be owned and managed by users. Different users in different communities and on different platforms will have different decision-making powers, depending on their reputation in that context and the given governance mechanism.

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New Social: Try Healthier Social Media

The modular, interoperable technology stack described in this paper can disrupt traditional media and enable human-centric online interactions. In contrast to the current paradigm where the platform owns all data and users have no control over it, all personal data exists at the user level, controlled by each user.From content curation to social intelligence powered by Superlinked,

The computations required to enable large-scale social interactions require user consent and are performed in a privacy-preserving manner. In addition, algorithms may also become increasingly transparent and modular, thereby providing more transparency and optionality for platforms and users.