Group chats in Towns can be set up so that only people who meet certain criteria – such as those with specific knowledge – can post messages while everyone else watches from the sidelines. Rubin hopes that in this scenario, conversations in vast groups will no longer be polluted by unreliable shots and fraudulent posts. In the meantime, he believes that the ability for someone to prove they are a real person using blockchain-based credentials could lend a hand minimize the ability of malicious actors to manipulate public discussion through bots.
The whole enterprise is the risk that people will want their data – not just identifying information, but details about their activities, spending habits, etc. – etched on the blockchain in the coming years. Rubin theorizes that if they are willing, the data can be used to group people together based on shared experiences and characteristics. In cities, you can form a group of people who were on Taylor Swift’s last tour, people with cybersecurity qualifications, or anyone who eats out frequently in Fresh York.
Rubin spoke to WIRED about his plan to put that vision into action and deal with the thorny issues — related to moderation, police misuse and echo chamber effects — that are vexing incumbents whom he hopes Towns can topple.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Joel Khalili: Can you start by explaining how you came up with the idea for Towns?
Ben Rubin: I started my career as an architect. After studying the architecture of real buildings, one of the things that continues to be the guiding force in everything I do is how you bring people together in a very unique way. To this day I look at myself as an architect. It’s just that the medium I work in is digital.
So it wasn’t just about building a sequel to Houseparty or fighting Discord and WhatsApp.
As we become more and more connected, there is an opportunity to create space for people who actually influence how conversations flow, what intimacy looks like, and so on. There are things that cannot be done with bricks that can be done in the digital world and, of course, vice versa.
Of course.
One of the compelling things about Houseparty is that it was a double-opt-in chart – much like a Facebook chart – where I ask you for friendship and then you have to accept it. It’s not just about following you like on Instagram. But the moment that happens, every time you’re talking to your friends – like at a house party where you might be talking to someone you don’t know – I can walk up and say, “Hi.”