An article on TechCrunch.com recently highlighted some new “spontaneous social apps” which are providing new ways for people to interact remotely during social isolation.
Research has shown that people resist the dissolution of existing relations. In light of the stay-at-home order issued by governments to combat COVID-19, people are turning to online tools to help them cope with their disconnection from others.
However, one of the significant elements of social interaction is spontaneous connection and conversation, which is lacking in a virtual “hangout” environments—people typically have to plan the “hangout” ahead of time. There is no more casually walking up to someone in the office or running into them on the street.
To address this problem, a wave of social networking apps has sprung up specifically addressing the lack of “spontaneity” in our current virtual interactions. One prominent app is Clubhouse, which is “an audio-based social network where people can spontaneously jump into voice chat rooms together” and can talk or just listen.
Similarly, apps such as Houseparty and Discord (for social life), and Loom and Screen (for office interactions) have gained momentum.
The apps mentioned here afford a level of immediacy and spontaneity that are currently lacking in virtual communication tools. Is this the wave of the future?