Naked Truth
How Our Biometric Data Could Transform Social Networks.
Social media has drifted from its social roots
In the so-called 'social' era, fueled by Facebook and its peers, new narratives of our daily lives emerge: to better feed these spaces of public intimacy, we reshape our reality. This habit suggests that the value of our existence is measured by our ability to turn it into digital content. In this landscape, even the 'lurker' gains significance by participating in a digitally surveilled reality, observed in a panopticon-like manner. Every action, whether active or passive, is influenced by a collective (in)visible gaze, implying that our existence primarily gains meaning through its digital reflection.
This reality, while harmful to our mental health, nevertheless opens up market opportunities. BeReal was among the first to dive into this gap. Its value proposition? To promote the capture of spontaneous snapshots, fostering genuine experiences at specific times while also enabling moments of disconnection. Can this truly bring the 'social' back into social media and chase away the 'nowstalgia' of a life filtered through our screens? Seems unlikely.
Assessing and Sharing Emotional Resonance
Reconnecting with the essence of social bonds calls for a dual reflection. The premise is that our struggles to forge genuine bonds with others are rooted in our personal disconnection. Thus, the Socratic precept of "Know thyself" has never been more relevant. Added to this is the need to reassess our approach to social networks, as posts, transformed into filtered and controlled declarative acts, distance us from authenticity.
Consider a different path: embracing social networks that meld with wearables and biomonitoring technology, serving up content enriched with biometric data and neuroscience findings. Essentially, they would mirror our authentic selves. Sounds like a utopia? Far from it. Evidence of this is found in Best. Tuesday. Ever, an emotional fitness app crafted by Immersion Neuroscience.
Leveraging two decades of neuroscience research, the app aims to analyze brain responses and predict the most motivating experiences for each individual, relying on markers such as oxytocin and dopamine.
By harnessing photoplethysmography (PPG) through the sensors in smartwatches, Best. Tuesday. Ever provides continuous monitoring of bodily signals. Analyzing these data in real-time reveals subtle variations, acting as precursors to future behaviors. This technology enables the app to assess emotional resonance and attention levels during various experiences, offering an immersion grounded in concrete facts.
Moreover, the app enhances the ability to share these insights in numerous social and professional settings. From leadership and coaching to providing support, it facilitates open communication about our emotional states. This pioneering approach to sharing biometric data opens new avenues for understanding and strengthening connections, providing a tangible glimpse into emotional well-being.
Human-beat as a service
Therefore, anticipate a surge in wearable technologies and the revelation of novel human data and "frequencies," delving into the realms of our unconscious and subconscious.
These insights reinforce my belief in the transformative power of technology and generative AI - tools that have the potential to help us understand ourselves better and, undoubtedly, to strengthen our humanity. A particular figure recently caught my eye: a study on the chatbot Replika revealed that 90% of its users felt isolated. Among these, a number acknowledged that this conversational tool replaced their interactions with other humans. However, intriguingly, three times as many respondents stated that Replika, on the contrary, helped them increase their interactions with peers. Additionally, 3% of users spontaneously reported that the platform had halted their suicidal thoughts.
A few months back, headlines everywhere were boldly proclaiming: "The Chief Marketing Officer is dead!" Such dramatic declarations of obsolescence never fail to amuse me. However, this time, the claim taps into an underlying truth, with a slight twist: it might not be the Chief Data Officer who steps into the CMO's shoes, but rather the Chief Neuro Officer.
MD