Stephen Downes

This manifesto is based on what the authors call 'resonance'. "It's the experience of encountering something that speaks to our deeper values. It's a spark of recognition, a sense that we're being invited to lean in, to participate. Unlike the digital junk food of the day, the more we engage with what resonates, the more we're left feeling nourished, grateful, alive." The manifesto argues for software that resonates, and specifically, software that is (quoted):

• Private: people must serve as primary stewards of their own context.
• Dedicated: Software should work exclusively for you.
• Plural: No single entity should control the digital spaces we inhabit.
• Adaptable: Software should be open-ended.
• Prosocial: Technology should enable connection and coordination.

I'm left wondering whether these principles are each necessary and whether collectively they are sufficient. Maybe it's an answer to the question from yesterday: "if your software doesn't resonate, then you are the product?"