Community Signal

For all of of the convenience and value that tech companies and platforms provide, we’re also starting to see just how much they take away. In this episode, Michael Wood-Lewis, the co-founder of Front Porch Forum, shares how big tech facilitates connections between people, but at both a monetary and social cost. In this episode, Michael and Patrick discuss how tech platforms optimize for engagement, back and forth between their users. But Front Porch Forum optimizes for actual conversations, not just online, but in person around civic engagement, and for things like borrowing a ladder or finding a plumber. If we take these conversations back, what happens to big tech? Michael also shares: The importance of authenticity on Front Porch Forum What happened when local politicians realized the power of engaging with constituents through Front Porch Forum How Front Porch Forum creates the feeling of a neighborhood block party online Big Quotes How big tech removes autonomy from local communities: “A vibrant loca