Listening to the Right Signal

Most apps have been built to speak, to alert, persuade, and demand attention. What we need now are systems that listen.

Listening systems don’t just record behavior; they recognize patterns of care and connection, the quiet signals of positivity that traditional metrics overlook.

One afternoon, Maya shares a post about getting back into running after months of therapy. It’s honest and vulnerable. Her friend Luis comments, “You inspired me to go for a walk.” Tara adds encouragement. By evening, the thread has grown. Friends share their own stories, and one, Daniel, signs up for his first 5K after seeing Maya’s post.

Traditional metrics would call that engagement: one post, twenty-two comments, thirty-five reactions. But something deeper is happening. Maya’s openness created a ripple of positivity that spread through her network. A system that listens would recognize that ripple: how one act of vulnerability lifted others to act, connect, and share.

That’s the idea behind ripple metrics, not counting how often people engage, but understanding how their actions uplift others. It’s about making positive moments visible, the quiet signals that show how well-being moves through a community.

Why does this matter? Because when we only measure attention, we build systems that chase distraction. But when we listen for connection, we can build ones that care.

Listening systems can turn engagement engines into reflection engines. They can reveal not just what people click, but how encouragement spreads, how gratitude replaces reaction, and how one person’s kindness lifts an entire community.

I have been exploring this challenge: how to build systems that truly listen, that detect moments of connection and turn them into meaningful insight. My goal isn’t to track what people do, but to understand how their actions make them and others feel, and how those feelings ripple outward.

Today’s platforms reward attention, fueling the dopamine loop of likes and reactions. We can break that cycle by creating systems that reward contributions to well-being; ones that help people recognize and reinforce what truly supports growth and connection.

When we build systems that listen for the drops and hear the ripples, we bring technology closer to what it was always meant to do: help people flourish by listening to the right signal.