How should the technology stack for "new social" in the Web3 era be constructed?

Original Title: The New Social tech stack

Original Author: Jan Baeriswyl, Geek Culture

Translated by: Hailsman, Chain Catcher

Traditional social media is a "bad play"

In the current social media landscape, a few large platforms dominate most of our data and attention. It is clear that they exploit this monopolistic power, greatly harming users, other companies, and society as a whole.

These issues have recently been brought to the public agenda, and once they enter public consciousness, there is a possibility of eventual change.

Organizations like Humane Tech (Humane Tech) aim to change this status quo, and their Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma (The Social Dilemma) has helped the public recognize that the essence of current social media is a company seeking to maximize shareholder profits rather than user value, as well as the negative impact of its dictatorial control on society.

The monopoly of current social media groups, from Facebook to Tencent, may seem "too big to fail" from the perspective of network effects and large user bases. However, due to the continuous deterioration of user experience, along with pressure from new entrants, governments, NGOs, and the existing public, a turning point may emerge, and we will see a large influx of users into the "new social." As companies like Facebook face pressure to maintain growth and profitability (in an increasingly saturated market), the "deal" for users will get worse: more ads, less regulation, and more covert psychological tactics will draw people to their screens.

Meanwhile, we are witnessing a series of new companies seeking to rebuild the social media architecture from the ground up, realizing how much thought is needed in the digital public sphere and the new "information highway."

Emerging Social Platforms

At this point, the new society has begun, and its early iterations and building blocks are starting to emerge. We can already describe some of the different building blocks and elements, but it is important to note that we do not yet know how they will combine and on what timeline.

We will briefly discuss three areas where these building blocks are emerging: online communities, social platforms and products, self-sovereign identity and data management.

Communities

From the current situation, online communities indeed seem to be the future of social media. Not only has group engagement in traditional social media significantly increased (for example, Facebook is increasingly focusing on groups), but we also see online communities spanning a range of different platforms, from messaging apps (like Telegram, Discord) to new social platforms like Mighty Networks. The data platform GWI provides more insights into this major trend:

• Users are joining online communities: As early as 2019, up to 76% of global internet users participated in at least one online community.
• Brands are increasingly using online communities: In 2019, 75% of large organizations worldwide had some form of online community.

Social Platforms and Products

Many of the online communities discussed above have chosen independent platforms, providing them with more freedom than traditional social media and more complex features than messaging apps. Examples include Hivebrite or Mighty Networks focused on hosting online communities, as well as event-centric platforms like Hopin and Bizzabo.

The similarity of social products lies in their provision of ample infrastructure for communities, but they are product-centric. Examples include the anonymous professional social network Blind and the entrepreneurial social network CoFoundersLab. 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 could not share before (when using their official names). CoFoundersLab is a great example of a community formed around a purpose (building companies and finding co-founders) supported by products (profiles, matching, etc.).

Although social platforms and products are implemented differently, they share a commonality: they enhance social interaction through technology and products, often focusing on enabling creators and communities to connect more deeply and collaborate better.

The economics of new social platforms revolve around value creation before they can share a piece of the now larger pie. The shift towards a human-centered and co-creating value is the foundation of the new society.

The New Social Tech Stack

From the developments outlined above, we can begin to describe the layers of technology that the envisioned new society requires.

The main entities we consider are users and communities (currently excluding autonomous software agents). They interact through different protocols or algorithms that are composable and interoperable. Importantly, users can control their data and selectively decide what content they share with other users, communities, and algorithms. The intersection of what they share is what we refer to as "Persona." We can think of it as an avatar that can appear in an anonymous, pseudonymous, or even fully transparent state by carrying its own text.

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

• User Layer (wallets, credentials, user data)
• UX Layer (platforms, interactions, experiences)
• Computing Layer (ZK systems, AI, reputation models, etc.)
• Governance Layer (decisions and rules)
• Currency/Legal Layer (value distribution and exchange)

User Layer: Self-Sovereign User Data

In the "new social" tech stack, the closest layer to users is the user layer. In the new paradigm, user data is owned at the edge, rather than within applications or platforms. One can imagine a "personal data cabinet" containing all relevant user information. It is surprising how large our data footprint has become, necessitating consideration of the following types of data that can be included:

• Credentials (identifiers, badges, proofs, etc.)
• Behavioral and personal data (everything under GDPR)
• Created data (everything belonging to DRM)

In the "new social" tech stack, all of this data belongs to the user. Encrypted data locks selectively share data with approved users, communities, or algorithms, creating a unique role for each interaction. This version of interaction is also described as "self-sovereign identity," meaning users have sovereignty over their online identity (their data footprint). In the future, the user layer could be supported by zero-knowledge technology and secure multi-party computation (SMC), which would 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 the place where users communicate and collaborate with each other through different media. Communities are often manifested in one or more social products or platforms, providing a governance (and currency) framework for user interactions. In this sense, the UX layer can be described as the bridge that connects all layers into a concrete user experience. Most users will only be aware of the user experience they interact with on a given product, rather than the other layers that make that experience possible in the background.

Computing Layer: Access and Reputation

The computing layer addresses how roles connect with each other. Users connect their data cabinets, especially their social maps, to the UX layer. This allows them to interact with others as roles within the context of specific communities. These interactions often occur within the context of specific communities or at least within the context of specific new social platforms or products. The computing layer dictates which communities any given Persona can access and which spaces within those communities. Similarly, personas may have different reputations across different communities or platforms.

Access and reputation both have a strong impact on governance and currency layers. In this way, the computing layer also extends roles into the governance and currency layers within the context of specific communities/platforms/products.

Superlinked connects the user layer to the computing layer, powering the user experience of the "new social."

Superlinked is a great example of a company operating within the New Social tech stack: users can control their social maps (and other data) across platforms and products, which aligns with the user layer in the self-sovereign identity model. Users can connect their social maps to any given platform while always owning and controlling their data.

Superlinked primarily exists in the computing layer, providing APIs to enhance social products and platforms, enabling them to offer better functionality in the UX layer.

As the computational capabilities provided by Superlinked increase, 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 through enriched interactions with social intelligence.

Web 3 Adds Two New Layers to the New Social Tech Stack

As explained in a previous article, we have also seen the emergence of tokenized communities in cryptocurrency or "social tokens." The fundamental shift is that blockchain-based tokens provide a new way to monetize and distribute ownership for online communities. This new capability could ultimately power new social platforms, allowing users to become co-owners of the platform and enabling communities to profit through their own tokens. We refer to this additional layer as the currency/legal layer.

Once each stakeholder holds tokens, another layer opens up: the governance layer. Now, all relevant stakeholders can collectively make decisions about how the currency/legal layer evolves, as well as any other types of decisions from product to staffing. We see a range of different mechanisms, from one-person-one-vote to liquid democracy, being used to govern digital platforms and communities. The increasing popularity of smart contracts and ready-made frameworks makes this innovation possible. The governance layer connects to the currency layer through governance mechanisms, which are typically supported by tokens or NFTs.

While previous technologies have also been embedded in currency/legal and governance structures, these structures were provided by their respective jurisdictions without debate. In Web 3, they become part of the tech stack.

In Web 3, more and more products have their own communities, which collectively own the products 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-custodied through the user's Web 3 wallet, rather than the platform.

Currency/Legal Layer

As mentioned above, the currency/legal layer involves assets, cash flows, and contractual agreements of different communities and roles. From advertising revenue to influencers and the growing creator economy, social media has shown a clear trend of tighter connections with funding flows. We expect that in the "new social" tech stack, these funding flows will become more transparent and accessible to users. For example, users can selectively monetize their data and be rewarded for actions such as management and participation. At the same time, they will own a part of the communities and platforms they participate in.

Governance Layer (Decisions and Rules)

Online communities and even new social platforms will be supported by different decision-making mechanisms, rather than simple top-down command and control. Even Facebook has established an ethics committee, at least in an attempt to treat their users as stakeholders in their decisions.

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

New Social: Attempting Healthier Social Media

The modular, interoperable tech stack described in this article has the potential to disrupt traditional media and achieve human-centered online interactions. Compared to the current paradigm where platforms own all the data and users have no control, all personal data exists in the user layer, controlled by each user.

From content management to the social intelligence provided by Superlinked, the computation required for large-scale social interactions needs user consent and must be conducted while protecting privacy. Furthermore, algorithms may also become increasingly transparent and modular, providing more transparency and optionality for platforms and users.

These developments could break the user data and computational monopoly of traditional social media giants, allowing emerging social platforms and products to operate and compete effectively on the same terms. In this scenario, one clear point is that users will ultimately choose an online experience that helps them create value and connect with others, rather than being lured into frenzy and "doom scrolling" for advertising revenue.