Social Friction

• [[pull]] [[friction]] [[design]]
• [[push]] [[slow web]]

Social Friction is the intentional design of resistance in social interactions to prevent thoughtlessness, harassment, or mob behavior.

Efficiency is not the Goal

Silicon Valley design usually optimizes for "removing friction". One-click signups, instant retweets, seamless sharing.

• Result: Viral misinformation, brigading, low-effort interactions.

Good Friction

In the [[Agora]], we might want friction:

• The Cooling Period: You can’t reply to a heated node for 5 minutes.
• The Effort Barrier: To contribute a subnode, you have to actually write a markdown file and push git (currently). While we want to lower barriers to entry, some barrier acts as a filter for intent.
• The Context Check: "You are about to link to a private garden. Are you sure?"

Friction as Governance

Friction is a form of soft governance. It shapes behavior not by forbidding actions, but by making harmful actions "expensive" (in terms of time/effort) and beneficial actions "cheap".