The future of online human connection and the next internet

I believe the next version of the Internet isn’t just about artificial intelligence or decentralization but about reconnecting what matters most to all of us: authentic human connection.

What follows is a series of touch points on some of the more interesting areas of the internet that are already beginning to change as customer expectations and behaviours shift.

I think the real points of interests are where businesses should start (and need to) innovate to meet this change in behaviour before they get left behind....but you be the judge...enjoy!

Social media is the modern day oxymoron

Experiencing authentic connection through the noise of mass-market social media, has proven illusive, and even perhaps impossible because it's incompatible with the core ad-centric business model and requires broad audience participation as a function to advertisers, even if the whole purpose is to ultimately identify and target qualified consumers.

A 2024 report from the Pew Research Center revealed that Facebook's environment has become much less conducive for authentic interactions, evolving more so into a phone book and integrated marketplace than a place for active community.

On LinkedIn the abundance of spam, lack of moderation and persistent cold call posts have driven users away in favour of newer features like Newsletters that offer more value, albeit without that community connection.

authentic connection through the noise of mass-market social media, has proven illusive, and even perhaps impossible

The Age of Micro-communities

The emergence of micro-community platforms that provide tailored experiences and context (like SideBar (no affiliation) in the coaching space) have demonstrated that far richer sources of context and context than social media. The ability to find high-value, authentic interactions is possible, but still as yet delivered through bespoke digital platforms.

We’re also seeing hints of this evolution in existing platforms like WhatsApp, where new features like communities is attempting to deliver incremental (and lower value) improvement to the user experience.

I think this is only the beginning of a movement towards "high context" features and a user experience that aims to more relevant and dynamic than the current firehose approach on most platforms. In the next iteration of the internet, it will be far easier to find your tribe through bespoke platforms as opposed to the current experience where algorithms curate what you experience based on the data your data indicators and interests.

Next generation platforms amplifying human interaction as a differentiator...are poised to stand out

Nextgen platforms

In the next evolution of digital platforms, communities will thrive not only through shared context but through relatable, actionable interactions that transcend the online to the physical. Take for example, the explosion of micro-learning apps with actionable steps to address a hinderance or the evolution of travel platforms like Fora Travel (no affiliation) that are redefining the travel experience through curated marketplaces bringing together travellers, agents and guides around in-person experiences.

Next generation digital platforms amplifying human interaction as a differentiator without the messiness of thoughtless selling tactics are poised to stand out above the mainstream as users self-select authenticity, greater context and meaningful interaction.

the next advances in human-computer-interaction (HCI) will be in audio

Of course Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence is changing the world, but what remains constant is that the storyteller creators with the biggest imaginations and the ability to relate human experiences in new and exciting ways will undoubtedly rise above the deluge of random and regurgitated images, video and audio.

I created Moonlight as a first venture into creative AI to explore the possibilities of what could be achieved when combining multiple content, image and audio tools together to create new personalized audio stories. It continues to thrive as a EdTech platform for parents and schools and we're excited to work on the next iterations...watch this space!

(On customer service) Gone are the days of submitting an issue through a website, only to wait several days for a response

Video conferencing 2.0

At the core of authentic human connection is of course, face-to-face interaction. The power of visual expression provides a vast amount more information, in body language , or over a shared moment, than anything virtual. But as a core technology, we should accept that video conferencing is here to stay and consider what's next.

Augmented by AI and real-time data analytics, todays video conferencing capabilities will surely evolve into data driven, ultra-realistic platforms that provide in-meeting real-time feedback for each participant through the duration and after the call. Take for example, a platform that reminds you to smile more, sit up straight or even reminds you to ask a certain question as the conversation progresses. If not here already, that future is just around the corner.

...customer education will become incredibly important (as a differentiator) and ultimately meld together with customer service...

The immediate future is audio (I think)

I happened to think that in our imminent future, the next advances in human-computer-interaction (HCI) will come from audio. Our ability to translate audio in real-time (comprehend, transcribe and translate) will undoubtedly create new channels, markets and opportunities in a range of areas. Just the thought of picking up a phone and being able to speak to anyone in the world regardless of language, gives me goose bumps.

Beyond translation, contextually-aware conversations with new platforms like ChatGTP must usher in a new age of voice-driven computing. Much like Tony Starks AI assistance Jarvis or Scarlet Johansson in Her , it won't be long (I hope) before new agents with broad OS and application constructs will assist with everything from reorganising your desktop icons to booking your next holiday. If OpenAI's latest legal battle with SJ is any indication, so do they.

There is so much more to come in this space. With coaching apps that can provide the right advice at the right time during your workout to voice-driven journalling, it's clear that we'll be talking to (not through) our phones in no time at all. And much like it was once strange to take a phone call with wireless earphones, talking to your phone in public is the next weird phase of HCI.

To stand out businesses will need to curate rich content in different media types within a smart delivery model able to curate the experience and content for each end user.

Customer service as a differentiator

One of the changes I am most excited about is how the business <> customer relationship is likely to evolve, perhaps most significantly through generational change.

Gen-zers expect much more of businesses than the previous generation. Trends specifically show that the next generation will likely change customer service in two distinct ways:

1. Expectations to solve their own issues are much more prevalent.
2. The expectation of Instant gratification/response is much stronger.

Gone are the days that submitting an issue on a website, only to wait several days for an update to come back will suffice. Gen-Z users want to be enabled and will gravitate towards businesses and digital platforms that both provide superior content and tooling as well as fast, contextual responses.

For these reasons, I think customer education will become incredibly important and ultimately meld together with customer service as a single capability.

Within the SaaS space, it has long been considered a necessary strategy to grow by enablement, which means providing better analytics, AI tooling or other capabilities than your market competitions.

Looking forward, customer education doesn't just mean useful emails or blogs to help the user along. To stand out businesses will need to curate rich content in different media types within a delivery model that can curate the experience for each end user. Through a combination of the right digital platform and integrated AI - businesses with superior content, enablement and experience will win over the laggards.

For a quick example, just look at Stripe . As an emerging technology way back when. They faced plenty of competition in the online payments space but ended up dominating the market through superior tooling, customer service and support platforms. Their API documentation is still one of the best examples of superior support and enablement, in this case, for software engineers (who ended up building a lot of new ecommerce platforms).

In the next iteration of the internet, it will be easier to find your tribe through bespoke platforms as opposed to algorithms

There is so much more to talk about

There is much more to the future of connection and customer service than simply what we've described here, At Courza, we’re truely passionate about the power of communities and specifically helping companies move ahead of the status quo with incredible enablement, learning and academy platforms for their customers. f you’re curious about where the needle is moving to, we’d love to connect.

Thanks for your time!

Cameron