Almost like…

Until now being physically co-present with another person has been the gold standard of communication and collaboration. But in the last year we have been forced to experience alternative interfaces for working together remotely, albeit primitive and imperfect.

I am sure that the makers of these interfaces would like its users to think “Hey, this is almost like being there!” Alas, we are still quite far from that point.

The tragedy of the pandemic has spurred a lot of smart people to think in new ways about how to work together remotely. This process of invention and discovery will continue in the years to come, and will be far more mature in, say, another ten years.

I wonder if we will get to the point where physical co-presence is no longer considered the gold standard. At that point, perhaps people working together will prefer the latest and greatest remote interface to reality itself. They might even look at the person sitting right next to them and think “Hey, this is almost like not being there!”

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