Intentionality in community design

Modern communication technologies suffer from a consistent problem of being too direct.

• Imagine walking through a living room to get to a kitchen. In the living room, you see someone sitting watching TV. Both people are able to see each other, hear each other, and the space invites a conversation.

• By contrast, imagine using an old rotary phone to call someone. First you've got to look up a number, now you've got to deliberately put those numbers in the phone, and then as you call them you're on edge since it costs money to stay on the line.

Virtual spaces must create the same invitation to connect as physical spaces. However, simply immersing a person at all times in a virtual world creates such a degree of friction to everyday interactions that it's problematic.