Project Cosaga

2024-01-01

Cosaga. Where do we even begin? Let's start with two definitions:

Co- (from Latin): with : together : joint : jointly

Saga (from Old Norse): a dramatic and often complicated story or series of events : a long story of heroic achievement

Stories, together. Well, it's one short way to sum up our existence.

This project has been a long time coming, but if I had to pinpoint its origins, it would be around my sophomore year in college. Back then, when I still used Facebook, I was conversing on Messenger with who I thought was a girl trying to meet people on the platform. Turns out it was just some scammer trying to dupe me into giving them money. Then the pandemic hit. Many, if not most social interactions moved onto or via the Internet. Media became more social than ever.

The hegemonic social platforms, swelling in population, and perhaps because of it, did not feel like more pleasant places to be. Not that that's surprising. As with any other public space, like a street, subway, or plaza, these social platforms were never designed for private enjoyment, but rather the utilitarian infrastructure for public activities. At least, that's one reason I think Facebook fails as a friend-making platform but excels at spreading news, both real and less real.

I don't believe, or don't want to believe, that Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn are the endgame for social media. In twenty or thirty years, we're going to have humanoid robots in our factories and homes, traveling around cities in driverless taxis, and dealing with the consequences of climate change. In two hundred years, we'll be on the Moon and Mars, virtual worlds will be beyond our imagination, and we might even be using our computers with our brains. I'm sure there will still be tweets and TikToks. But I think we can do better.

I wrote a Substack post last year about system design principles based on research in friendship formation, which I borrowed from game designer Daniel Cook. I've been thinking that internet social platforms and multiplayer video games are not all too different. Both are software products where people interact with each other in predefined systems. But why are these big social platforms much less fun to use? Is it possible to make a social platform like Facebook or Linkedin, but make it actually exciting to meet people on?

The words to answer such questions will come. But anyway, here's to 2024 years since the birth of Christ. A nice round number with 16 factors. Year of the Dragon. Let this year be just as mythical.