A sane social network would mix physical presence and decentralized tech

Evidence

When I try to imagine a sane social network it is a space of appearance: a hybrid of mediated and in-person encounters, of hours-long walks with a friend, of phone conversations, of closed group chats, of town halls. It would allow true conviviality—the dinners and gatherings and celebrations that give us the emotional sustenance we need, and where we show up for each other in person and say, “I am here fighting for this with you.” It would make use of non-corporate, decentralized networking technology, both to include those for whom in-person interaction is difficult and to create nodes of support in different cities when staying in one place is increasingly an economic privilege. — Jenny Odell, How to Do Nothing, 605

Categorization

• DEFINE: Odell is not anti-social-media; she imagines an alternative form, which supports the not-withdrawal defense.
• XREF: The ‘space of appearance’ concept echoes Arendt’s political theory of appearing before others. — connects to: Decentralized networks shift data and software closer to users — Jenny Odell, How to Do Nothing: Resisting the…, 581
• QUESTION: Does this proposed network tacitly admit that attention-economy platforms could be salvaged in another form?