I've been interested in the concept of "social productivity" for a long time now.
It's the idea that we get things done on the recommendations or advice of trusted others. Think about a friend raving about new gadget or a colleague going on about a new work tool.
But since becoming a parent, this is the one idea I keep coming back to - not just because it feels satisfying, but because it's incredibly practical and necessary. So in the age of AI and "model intelligence", how can we tap into the "collective intelligence" of each other.
1. It's an effective shortcut. There's just too much surface area to cover as a parent to become an expert in all of the things - especially because as soon as you get the hang of a thing, kids grow in the next phase. One of the best hacks for parents is to be friends with a couple families with kids 1-2 years older than your own because they can give you a practical sneak peek on what's coming around the corner. But we know it to be effective for travel or restaurants or books - areas where the options are endless and you need someway to get to a reasonable shortlist.
2. It connect us.ย We are a social species and a big part of our connections lie in our consumption - of things and experiences.ย There's a special "zing" of joy attached to learning that someone else loves the things you do - whether it's a book or a journal or fav parenting IG person ... it makes you feel connected to that person and then more open to some of the other recommendations they might have. To this day, when I see a Vanity Fair magazine, I'm taken back to my days at Starbucks HQ when a friend raved about reading it religiously.ย
3. We can model information and areas current models aren't great at. Today's foundation models are largely trained on the public internet. And that we know, is already poorly represented by women and the work of our homes (eg. beyond reddit or recipe blogs)... plus much of the wisdom in our families and communities isn't best represented in words but in actions or rituals or tacit knowledge. So I think it's vital we have ways to tap into those stores of wisdom in simple ways.
Which leads me to the thought that there is such an emphasis on advancing model intelligence but what of making it easier to tap into our collective intelligence?
It used to be that we'd gather each week at church or at the playground or at the one extracurricular activity everyone's kids did. Plus there were only so many options people were aware of, in the age before infinite info at your fingertips. That reality is well and gone but what's the modern version that doesn't just let our lived experiences languish?
In the age of infinite info, it's the filter that matters and especially for parents, it's critical to have a trusted filter to navigate the endless questions.ย
So what does unlocking collective intelligence look like?