Cocoon: Fostering Small and Personal Networks
https://qz.com/1753485/former-facebook-employees-are-creating-a-social-media-network-for-your-family/
While there are still many people who use social media as a tool to expand their social networks and gain as many likes, followers, and friends as possible, new trends have shown that many people have started to use social media to foster close relationships within a personal network. In inspiration of this new revelation, Cocoon was created. Cocoon is a social networking app that is catered exclusively to families. The modern family is often scattered geographically, but through this app, family members can feel connected through this “digital home” The app allows for members to message, set status updates, share news, and more. The app also allows for a feature to separate in-laws, and also sorts conversations automatically to prevent redundancy.
Not only is this app focusing on small social networks and not working towards simply expansion and growth of these networks, this app is also strongly focusing on privacy and intimacy. Rather than utilizing technology and a tool for exploration as growth of networks, this app focuses on strengthening the relationships between individuals. Just as we discussed in the course, we are not expanding the number of nodes in this social network, we are creating stronger bonds between the limited and existing nodes.
This type of social networking is a new trend that I believe will continue to grow, just as the “influencer” trend will grow. After all, in networks, both the number and reach of nodes and the strength of bonds between them are important. I believe that social media network trends will model this in the years to come. It is likely that more and more new social media applications will come to fruition, as we have countless social media applications currently that appeal to drastically different needs: for workplaces, for romantic love, for friends, for acquaintances, for strangers, and now for family. Just as there are countless types of social networks in the real world, digital applications will always be created to recreate, foster, or even invent new types of online networks.