The internet promised us connection.
This connection is increasingly powered by a connected mesh of algorithms pretending to be us, talking robotically to other algorithms pretending to be the people we thought we were talking to.
It’s like being trapped in a conference made entirely of C-3POs. All slightly too polite, too polished, but perfectly on brand.
Somewhere along the way, our human digital spaces are being hijacked by the tools we built to make things easier. Helpful at first but increasingly empty.
So back to the spreadsheet, Threepio we’re trying to connect.
So our social feeds are all being turned into magnolia painted walls.
Just there. Just sort of ….well, there.
Polished thought-leadership posts, correct (if fact checked) with a tone that screams ‘ wow that was an acceptable and probably mostly accurate experience’.
As we outsource their personalities in real time to enable brands to chase scale and speed, trust quietly slips out the side door.
Real conversations are unpredictable, messy and often enthralling.
Just like us.
We don’t remember the perfectly crafted campaign post. We remember the offbeat, honest video from someone inside the business. We remember the post where a team member celebrated a new win like they’d won the national, the founder who didn’t offer their tips to an effective morning starting at 5am. The employee who shows what purpose looks like at ground level, not the press release.
It’s time to de-automate connection
Tools are incredible. They help us scale, organise, and reach further. But they’re not the message. We are.
It’s so important we don’t lose the simple ability to talk.. We’re pack animals in a noisy vanilla room.
So unplug the robots and talk.