I like this article by Sam Lessin on the future of social, but think there’s a big omission. Namely, one of the major opportunities in social is to first
focus on helping creators monetize and own their audiences, then layering in social elements on top.
Companies here may not look like social products at first, but evolve in that direction. Take Substack, for instance: first launched as a paid newsletter tool, then added community features so that readers can engage with the writer & with each other: https://on.substack.com/p/new-on-substack-build-your-community
Creators are the ones that possess user attention & trust, and will be the central players for the next wave of social.
Originally published as “Future of Social"