I was chatting this morning about how refreshing it’s been to see the (very) recent push here in America back towards a more selfless “we” culture, spotlighting the power of people gathering together to achieve and learn more than they could alone (or by blindly following loud voices claiming to have all the answers).

Those that have watched the past week’s DNC speeches are saying that the vibe reminds them a lot of 15 years ago, and I find it very interesting that back then we also had a wave (albeit with a much smaller pool) of great ways to share interests and build goofy little online communities.

Even “social networks” were still very much in their infancy, and were primarily focused on connecting people/having discussions, and less so on “building your brand” and growing “followers” (in true cult-like fashion).

The 2010s brought us the rise of “influencers” and hustle culture, people hell-bent on building themselves up, viewing the internet largely as a means to an end, and shamefully treating it as a broadcast mechanism with which to grow their base at all costs. They weren’t online to connect, they were online to sell, baby, sell.

This almost entirely mirrors our country’s “follow the message from the top and you’ll personally prosper” dark journey inward.

Grow your base. Broadcast to your base. Squeeze every dollar out of them like toothpaste from a tube. Brag about how much you’ve made. Rinse. Repeat.

Listen only to what you want to hear (or what helps you cash in), then amplify only those voices. Feel the endorphins as your echo chamber expands, and people start slamming those ‘like’ buttons. Keep doing what you’re doing. You’re WINNING, and you’re in too deep to quit now!

It’s soulless, depressing, and most of all exhausting, and with the internet having now become synonymous with “social media” for many people, it’s no wonder people are bailing, or looking for alternatives.

The answer has been there all along. Listening. Discussing. Exploring. Staying curious. As a country, we’ve always been stronger when everyone has a seat at the table, and we’re able to learn from and interact with a wide variety of voices and viewpoints.

The internet is the single greatest communication platform that humanity has ever created, and while it started strong, we’ve had a rough past 15 years or so. The same can be said of recent American society generally.

As we collectively rub our eyes and wake up, I’m honestly feeling heartened to see people starting to course correct more and more, and slowly begin championing the power of connecting vs. following.