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For years, we justified our constant internet use because of the “social” element that imbued seemingly every digital platform. For a time, it seemed like the internet would not just provide a tangible connection to one other, but would also actually inspire social unification and connectivity as we had never seen before.
Unfortunately, it’s been a troubling few weeks for social media platforms. Juggernauts Facebook, Twitter, and Google, among others, have come under fire as reports and allegations revealed that their platforms, which were intended to bring people together, were actually used to disrupt communities.
Of course, there are extensive political repercussions for these actions, but they also cause casual users to doubt the web’s ability to facilitate meaningful connections with other people. In other words, despite Mark Zuckerberg’s aspirations that time on Facebook be “time well spent,” if the internet can’t connect us, then it’s difficult to argue that our time and energy couldn’t be put to better use.
One Possible Exception
One corner of the internet, the online dating scene, actually is successful at bringing people together — at least by some measurements. It started as a fringe dating scene, stigmatized as a place for people who couldn’t “hack it” in real-life interactions. There are a head-turning number of participants in the online dating scene. Last year, fully 20% of internet users were using an online dating app or website, and those numbers increase as the age of the users decreases.
Unfortunately, not everything about the online dating scene is an improvement over the apparent disconnectedness fostered on social media. Most dating platforms operate under the auspice that algorithms are better at fostering connections than people, and the result is a missed opportunity for connectedness.
According to some studies, men outnumber women on dating sites by more than 20%. As a result, many men find it difficult to meet people in such a lopsided dating field. Even worse, many women report experiencing harassment as men repeatedly send messages trying to stand out in the crowd.
In short, the online dating scene has a ready-made crowd comprised of millions of users, and it’s becoming more popular and prolific every day. With a little help, it actually be the technological innovation which qualifies as time well spent.
Building Better Connections
The blockchain and its accompanying decentralized applications can help in this regard. Hicky, the first dating application on the popular Ethereum blockchain, is ready to address many of the online dating scenes’ most glaring shortcomings so that people can identify and develop meaningful connections with one another. Hicky’s platform is informed by its executive team’s experiences working for other online dating platforms, but that’s not the only reason that it is capable of improving the online dating scene.
Operating on a token economy, it balances the male/female ratio so that everyone can have a better experience. What’s more, by biometrically verifying users’ identity, Hicky can provide a safer and more authentic experience than the current platforms.
Perhaps most importantly, it doesn’t rely on algorithms alone. People have incredible insight into their friends and acquaintances, and many times those connections can be the most meaningful. Using its native digital currency, Hicky financially incentivizes people to facilitate those connections. By combining these real-world connections with powerful and capable algorithms, Hicky produces a best-of-both-worlds scenario that brings people together and builds better relationships.
After all, that’s the ultimate point of connective technologies. If users are not able to make meaningful connections on these platforms, then they are ineffective even if they are popular. Although social platforms are enduring a crisis of confidence, the blockchain stands ready as a capable and timely technology that can facilitate better interactions than the current options. Platforms like Hicky will bring people together at a time when other platforms are indelibly driving them apart.
That’s a significant distinction, and we can use the blockchain to counter this narrative and to build better connections with one another.