Reimagining Messaging

This is where messaging is a much more natural fit, and, as far as the depth of your network is concerned, messaging services are just as much a threat to v1 social networks connectivity as TikTok is to Facebook’s hold on attention: I can simultaneously be a Bucks fan with the Fiefdom, a tech enthusiast with my Slack group, explore ideas with my Wh... See more

Messaging apps, in contrast, tend to allow users themselves to form the subgroups most relevant to them. Facebook Groups is a more flexible architecture than News Feed. Humans contain multitudes, and social apps should flex to their various communication privacy needs.

But to get people to ditch WhatsApp and switch to Messenger, it will never be sufficient to be 10% better than them or add fun gimmicks on any existing attribute or feature. We will have to offer some new fundamental use case that becomes important to people’s daily lives.

Messaging apps are used for all kinds of purposes and heavily overlap. They don’t monopolize but can get just as big.

iMessage and WhatsApp could be formidable for small-group audio channels. It’s easy to imagine Instagram or YouTube enabling creators to launch paywalled audio rooms. But the leading contender, in my mind, is Discord.

To recap, the four ideas discussed above are:1. Send a message API / button- Enabling devs to promote person-to-person messaging in their apps2. Content Platform in Messenger- Turning stickers into an open market- Adding memes and videos to the market- Building a simple in-message games platform3. App-to-person messages and agents- Enabling apps an... See more