So Near and Yet So Far - How the Web solved connection but lost discovery.

We built a Web that could connect anyone — yet lost the ability to truly understand what they sought.
This essay traces how every leap in communication — from voice to print to code — widened our reach but thinned our intent. It asks what happens when algorithms mistake behavior for meaning, and what builders can do, now, to rebuild discovery around expression instead of prediction.

The claim: the next era of the Web won’t be about reach, but resonance — systems that listen before they act.

🎧 Listen as part of the “Nuance Essays” series from m-verse — reflections at the intersection of product, design, and intelligence.
🌐 Read the full essay: m-verse.com/nuance/so-near-and-yet-so-far
🪞 Related ideas: Intent-Centered Design · Attention vs. Understanding · The Intention Economy · AI that Listens · Builders’ Ethic