Viral Post Lessons Learned

Last week I joined the 'viral post' club. Here's what I learned...

I've been posting quite a bit of research lately and one article about how texting with a random human peer might be more affective in alleviating loneliness compared to texting with a chatbot seemed to strike a chord. 

68,000 impressions
1,100 reactions
140 comments
150 reposts

𝗪𝗵𝘆? Why did this article resonate so deeply?

Well, the comment section spanned from "It's wild that we live in a time where this type of research is happening" to "Hey, chatbots have their place!".

Upon reflection I think it resonates because we inherently, intuitively understand the value of human to human connection.

But beyond that, I think the post surfaced the necessity to increase our capacity for holding both/and. 

With hundreds of millions using chatbots regularly, the call for raising awareness about the benefits and limitations is increasingly pressing. 

▪️ Chatbot use can increase access, create rehearsal space for inter-personal skills, and offer reflective insight and support.

▪️ Chatbot use can also erode relational skills, undermine agency and self-trust, and foster cognitive dependence.

It's all about how the tool is used. And engaging with it beneficially comes with awareness campaigns and hands-on workshops with guided time for reflective thinking. 

We need to champion human to human connection! And we simultaneously need to hold informative and experiential spaces for chatbot use to render more benefits than harms; because either way, people are turning to them...increasingly so.