Back in the 1920s, The Connector began her career as a cable girl. Those were the early days of the telephone, and the cable girls’ job was simple: plugging and unplugging telephone lines at breakneck speed, thereby connecting people with one another. And that’s exactly what The Connector still does today. She makes people feel part of a wider community and plays an indispensable role in the fight against loneliness. You can, of course, find her on social media, but also on forums and at events. Meanwhile, she’s brimming with original tips, addresses and recommendations. Because she loves to connect people using information from her own network. And once a connection’s been made? She’s gone just as quickly as she came.
Superpowers
- She’s a bridge-builder. Whether you’re looking for a restaurant, an event or a particular community, she’s always got the right suggestions.
- Quick, efficient and effective: she can make you feel that you’re not on your own.
- She doesn’t store any of your personal details or create a profile of you: she works purely on a request-by-request basis, with perhaps the occasional email: ‘Hey, fancy coming along?’
Kryptonite
- As soon as the connection is made, she’s gone: she doesn’t provide any follow-up support.
- The aim is simply to establish the connection, not necessarily to ensure the match is a good one.
- Together with The Cupid, she can create a product that constantly produces new dopamine hits, thereby making our brains addicted.
The Connector in practice
Of course, all the well-known social media platforms are designed by and for her, just like community platforms that bring people together, such as Meetup, Amigo’s or Nextdoor. Or how about Peerby: a sort of eBay for lending out items such as your lawnmower. And offline, she’s also well represented at community centres, street parties and cultural events such as ‘Peeking at the Neighbours’.
Archenemy
She doesn’t really have one. Although she does find The Guard a bit annoying: she wants to know a lot about everyone, and The Guard sometimes gets in the way of that.
Ally
Cupid can help her enormously in getting people to fall in love with the idea of connection. The Includer is also a kindred spirit: they too want to involve everyone and can help to facilitate a connection.
Summary
She tirelessly continues to build bridges in a divided world. Her intentions are good, though the outcome isn’t always as intended: after all, she also brings together people who don’t necessarily have the best interests of others or the world at heart.
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Nils van den Broek — Founder
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