components of serendipitous spaces
components of serendipitous spaces
chaos is a public good Pt.2
New to chaos? Wondering how adding a few emojis can lead to stronger communities? We’re covering what makes little pockets of the internet naturally great for making serendipitous connections and finding friendships, based on our own experience. Who are we to talk about this? Check out our first piece in the series for proof of serendipity here.
Chaos builds trust
LDF and Reka are both what you might consider "chaotic good".Chaotic good is the philosophy that goodness is best achieved through the freedom of individuals to act independently and sometimes in a way that doesn't fit social rules.
Chaos is required to facilitate serendipity. If everything is orchestrated it loses its sense of play. In our case, the ability to individually participate in communities solely because we wanted to be there rather than performing some kind of duty made the experience all the more meaningful. We also believe that to really get to know others a little chaos is necessary to show true character. So we intentionally add more personality into spaces we are in and act a lil cheeky sometimes to shake up stagnation in communities. Even if it is just by adding the 😈😏 emojis to ambiguous sentences.
We can learn a lot about how different people react to elements of chaos in a controlled environment, giving much more context to their personalities and intentions. Going through conflict with other people builds trust, by provoking more action to show more of who you actually are instead of pitching yourself for the sake of business or personal gain. This kind of low ego environment is important for developing a true sense of community, which often starts as strengthening the relationship between individuals within said community.
Actions over assets
It’s important for money to fall below the surface of our internet existence, particularly in a financially-charged environment like Web3 where speculation can run rampant.
Establishing spaces and creating experiences that exist because people genuinely want to be there to exchange non-directly financialized value is what drives communities through any hardship or challenge.
For us, we are both building products that facilitate this "actions over assets" version of our digital future, which naturally, we integrate with each other as well. However, our history also adds deeper context to our relationship in a partnership sense. It allows a healthy form of separation between coercive action or pitching, better understanding of our missions, and genuine respect and support. A very large and measurable benefit of our serendipitous internet relationship.
Our friendship extends far beyond the potential to commoditize our shared interests but is rather one facet of how our collective interests and interactions will manifest. It is equally important not to just talk about what you care about, but take action to make it a reality.
We share respect for our individual achievements and allow ourselves to value the journey more than any one milestone or destination within it. Long-term sustainability over short-term gratification.
Exclusivity creates inclusivity
The spaces that make these relationships possible need to be somewhat exclusive (or at least, there should be variation) so that valuable interactions and forms of value exchange can happen. It has been proven that effective and open communication is getting worse as groups grow. Smaller, more niche, interest-based groups allow individuals to feel safe enough to share and be more of themselves. As groups grow communication becomes similar to talking into a megaphone, losing a lot of the initial intimacy and efficiency. Keeping some groups small allows members to form bonds and co-create history. However, it is important to note, that these exclusive spaces do not have to be inherently financialized so you have to "buy your way in", (in fact, the best ones are not) and can also be created through the combination of:
Merit-based
Interest-based
Asset-based curation
Inclusivity will flourish in these exclusive spaces as we can confidently assume each participant found their way in through a shared journey, marked by common touchpoints. Therefore, these intimate spaces allow people to self-select based on preferences, in a "choose-your-own-adventure” manner rather than the perceived value of “getting into an exclusive space” just for the sake of it.
Though it can feel counterintuitive, to use curation as the tool to handle the vastness of possible digital spaces. Building a space for everyone is really for no one, whereas small pockets of deeply aligned groups can spur infinite combinations of personal connections.
Attention is the scarcest resource, and protecting our bandwidth for the most high-impact connections continues to be crucial in maintaining and fostering healthy relationships online.
Creating your journey
One of the fundamental differences in web3 philosophy from its traditional counterparts is that there are no users of web3, everyone is a creator. You are creating your own path through applications and producing data when you are trading, liking things or joining guilds. Participation of any form is creation. The breadcrumbs of actions you leave behind serve as the map of your journey, and as a part of you and your unique history. You have more in common with others than you might think, and just like you would in a physical space, it’s important to keep an eye out for people that keep popping up in similar places as you.
Let's create more visibility for discovering friends through these shared interests and commonalities. Let's make it more straightforward to hop on quests and journeys into the exclusive spaces where these interests can evolve into more context, action and grow into a relationship of some kind.
We wholeheartedly believe the best thing you can do to attract a network of like-minded individuals is to lean into your own journey and be authentic and attentive to the world around you.
This is the second piece in our series: chaos is a public good. You can find the first one here, keep in mind that easter eggs are everywhere 😏. While we continue exploring web3 media and co-creation follow LDF and Reka on Twitter for more hints ;)