We’ve developed numerous ways to connect with others online. However, there’s a noticeable gap in the tools available for fostering meaningful connections. I am proposing a three-tiered framework for understanding and developing social products, with a focus on the underdeveloped Tier 2 and Tier 3 categories.
Tier 1: Direct Two-way Connection Apps
Tier 1 consists of apps and platforms we’re most familiar with:
- Social media
- Dating apps
- Meetup platforms
These apps directly facilitate meetings between people. However, they often fall short in creating meaningful, lasting connections due to opposing incentives of the platform owners.
Tier 2: Individual Social Management
Tier 2 represents an underdeveloped category of “solo”, one-way apps that don’t directly connect you with others but help manage and improve your social life:
- Social Capital Budgeting: Just as we budget our finances, a tool to help people budget and allocate their social energy and resources.
- Relationship Audit Products: Apps that help users measure the health and quality of their existing relationships, providing insights and suggestions for improvement.
- Personal Social Analytics: Tools that track and analyze an individual’s social interactions, providing data-driven insights to help users understand and optimize their social behaviors.
Tier 2 products focus on empowering individuals to better understand and manage their social lives, rather than directly facilitating new connections. These tools may allow a sub-tier system that allows individuals to do what their most comfortable with first before graduating to a higher tier.
Tier 3: Social Schema and Instructions
Tier 3 represents the most abstract level of social products:
- Relationship Building Schemas: Frameworks that define the stages and components of healthy relationship development.
- Social Interaction Instructions: Detailed guides on how to navigate various social situations, from networking events to first dates to job interviews.
- Community Building Blueprints: Step-by-step instructions for creating and maintaining thriving communities, both online and offline.
- Social Interaction Tier List: A hierarchical framework that categorizes social interactions based on their complexity, emotional investment, or social impact. This tier list helps individuals understand the progression of social skills and provides a structured approach to improving one’s social capabilities.
Tier 3 provides the foundational knowledge and structures upon which Tier 1 and Tier 2 products can be built.
The Importance of Developing Tier 2 and Tier 3
While Tier 1 products are abundant, the lack of well-developed Tier 2 and Tier 3 products limits our ability to create meaningful social connections. By focusing on these areas, we can:
- Empower individuals to take control of their social lives.
- Provide tools for deeper, more meaningful relationship building.
- Create a foundation for more effective Tier 1 products.
Just as the App Store was necessary for the proliferation of mobile apps, well-developed Tier 2 and Tier 3 products are crucial for the next evolution of social connection in the digital age.
By investing in these underdeveloped tiers, we can create a more holistic ecosystem of social products that not only connect people but also help them build and maintain meaningful relationships in an increasingly complex social landscape.