The Challenge
The purpose of Sphere is to make loneliness optional. The way through which we can achieve that is to create a platform where the users can meet in real life and if they don’t want to, at least create an online context where they have the possibility to meet new people. In order to achieve this, we need to build tools for togetherness.
Sphere is not intended to be like other social networks. It’s not really a social network. It’s more a community of communities focused on the most important element of a community – the user. Right now, social networks involve the user into an addictive mechanism (some might call it a “habit forming action”) which requires the user to provide input to the network and the network will serve more of the same thing, regardless of what that is, which in turn creates an information bubble. When you translate that into humans behavior, it’s normal to lead to depression, anxiety and other similar states. Because there is always more of the same and nothing new, the brain is not stimulated to new opportunities and ideas, but addicted. And addiction leads only to one path…
The focus of the Sphere app is the connection between people, the virtual connection translated into real life. The user generated content should enrich the experience, not replace it. The purpose was is to highlight that option with UI and focus on getting people to create intentions, meet and do stuff in real life. Everything else only augments that and enrich the experience of getting together. The value of Sphere ecosystem is in action. Action is the currency of Sphere, unlike attention in other networks. That is why we are not calling it a social network.
