What’s the future of the internet going to look like?
Alexis Ohanian, one of the cofounders of Reddit, thinks there’s an opportunity for a new generation of apps to shake up how we’re connecting online.
“The most potent form of social today is basically in group chats, which is obviously not new technology, but what it’s highlighting is the fact that that’s a trusted group of people who you actually know, who are verifiably human,” Ohanian told Business Insider in a recent interview. “This next wave of apps — Airbuds is a great example — is going to be about that.”
Airbuds, a social music app gaining traction with teens, recently announced that Ohanian’s venture capital firm, Seven Seven Six, led its latest $5 million investment round.
How younger generations are using social apps is “one of the best bellwethers” for understanding internet trends, Ohanian said.
“This generation coming up has learned, and has a preference for, a less gamified version of life,” he said, opting out of the chase for followers or likes. “They’re choosing a healthier type of paradigm for social.”
Earlier this year, Ohanian also revived the social network Digg with its original founder, Kevin Rose.
It’s not just younger users who are yearning for a new social media experience, Ohanian said.
“Everyone, especially if you’re a geriatric millennial like me, you’re kind of tapped out,” Ohanian said. “You’re looking for that next wave. There’s a real hunger there.”
The next wave of social companies
Some new social media startups are challenging the attention economy with technology designed to get us out into the real world. Others are building platforms that evoke nostalgia for older versions of the internet, or are focused on connecting people with their closest friends rather than millions of people.
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“We just have a chance to do it better, to build more thoughtfully, and to really build something that ultimately has us feeling better when we get off of it,” Ohanian said.
In an era when artificial intelligence is infiltrating nearly every social media feed — yes, I’m talking about AI slop — true human connection online is starting to feel more scarce.
It’s why some tech executives like Ohanian and even OpenAI’s Sam Altman are talking about the “dead internet theory,” which attempts to explain what would happen in a scenario in which the internet is more AI than human.
“I think you are seeing increased value in these more closed networks,” Ohanian said. “I’m not saying we’re going back to AOL walled internet garden, but my hunch is it’s going to be less about how do you get to growth and billions of users … and more about: How do you really build a tool that allows communities to emerge and drive tremendous engagement?”
New internet companies will be able to monetize this experience, too, he added.
“It’s not about needing to get to billions of users and just selling them ads,” Ohanian said. “There’s going to be much more creative and constructive ways to monetize that’s sustainable, and hopefully actually ends up aligning the goals of the userbase with the goals of the platform, which is something that we’ve seen at odds in all the predecessors.”
