In a quiet street in Bologna, Bar Maurizio is not just a meeting place, but a microcosm of human interactions. Here, the owner transforms into a social director who “manages” meetings between strangers in a welcoming environment. A picturesque scenario, with an authentic flavour, which serves as the starting point for a broader reflection on the future of socialisation. A small journey that takes us from face-to-face interactions to the vast virtual spaces of the Metaverse, and begins in 2013.
Always in Bologna.
Ten years ago, in the lively atmosphere of Bologna, a touching initiative was born: Social Street. Its founder, Federico Bastiani, is inspired precisely by the authenticity and spontaneity of human interactions in the cafés and streets of his city. And he decides to transport this spirit into a digital context. By creating the first Social Street in Via Fondazza, Federico aims to use Facebook as a tool to bring people together, breaking down the barriers of urban isolation. The vision of him? Harness the power of technology to foster real, meaningful connections within urban communities. Federico's project, imbued with passion and creativity, demonstrates a profound understanding of the value of human relationships and their evolution in the digital age.
And since its foundation, the initiative has spread to other cities and countries, adapting to different local cultures and needs. Someone he said “it doesn't increase the GDP, but it makes people live better”. You said nothing. We want the future like this. And what will it be like?
Can socialization be brought from Bar Maurizio to the Metaverse, via Social Street (and without losing a gram of humanity)?
Meeting in a café, exchanging smiles and words with strangers, is a fundamental human experience. In a bar, the figure of the bartender is that of a master of socialization, someone who can create bonds between people who otherwise would never have met. An informal community model, where interactions are spontaneous and genuine. Social Street is a "hybrid" experiment between virtual and real interactions, a bridge between the physical and the digital. Social media and their evolution both the bartender and Federico spat in the eye: from being tools for connecting distant people, they have become passive entertainment platforms and almost anguished. Facebook, once a symbol of sharing and relationships, now pursues the goal of retaining users online by reducing the scope of real, tangible interactions.
The Metaverse is the elusive promised land. It's coming, or rather it's a bubble, or rather it's just catching up (between the Quest headsets and the upcoming ones from Apple). This virtual world promises to reinventing ways of social interaction. However, it raises critical questions about the impact of human relationships. We are approaching an era of virtual concerts and augmented reality business meetings. What will the cost be to our ability to connect in the real world?
The Role of Cities and Common Spaces
To tell a possible future scenario, let's move from Bologna (without forgetting it) to New York. And we find the community gardens, which are a bit like "hybrid 2.0". Similar to Social Streets, they act as social gathering points. These green spaces offer opportunities for meeting and connection, underlining the importance of public spaces in the social fabric of cities. In the future they will host people immersed in listening to music or podcasts, people jogging, guys with virtual glasses who will talk to the neighbor on the bench and at the same time with a friend... from Bologna, who they will curiously see sitting next to them. Street artists sitting in a booth, who will play from their home, or directly from other roads. And who knows what else.
If the Metaverse (and the future of socializing in general) moves on a balanced axis between the intimacy of face-to-face interactions and immersion in virtual worlds, it won't be so bad. We will have places and meta-places: open and closed. There won't just be small rooms with people locked inside as voluntary guinea pigs, in fact they will be a minority. The warmth and authenticity of places like Bar Maurizio ei community gardens of New York remind us of the irreplaceable importance of human relationships.
We will look into Maurizio's eyes as he asks us what we want: and out of the corner of our eye, perhaps, we will browse through his menu by swiping between the virtual coffees that we will see on his counter. Socmel! (for readers of foreign versions: I cannot explain this expression to you).
