There’s something troublingly endemic about the idea of 20 Day Stranger. On the surface it looks like an interesting new sort of social service, that’s less about broadcasting and focused more on an intimate connection, but it’s still a naval gazing exercise that’s centred around you and people that distract from the friends that are actually around you.
I struggle to spend 20 decent minutes with my children each day, and here’s something else encouraging me to spend time away from them and the physical space and people I am with.
It’s a little unfair to unload this moan on 20 Day Stranger perhaps, as it’s just an MIT experiment at heart, and an interesting one, but it niggles my conscience and makes me think again about ideas we’re brewing at With for apps and services that encourage more real life interaction.
Footnote: The first big conscience tickle I had on this theme resulted in the unfollowing on Instagram of some noisy folk that I don’t really know, but who I realised I thought more about each day than I did my Mum. I’m not saying don’t broaden your horizons, but I do think we’re distracting ourselves at times from existing value and opportunity.
Documenteering 