About me
I’m Bas, 32, and I live in Nijmegen. I studied Artificial Intelligence and, among other things, focused on Human-Technology Interaction: the way people and technology influence each other.
With DipIn, I hope people can find each other more easily. To me, the words “meet outside” fit the idea behind the app well. Literally, it simply means: meet somewhere and go do something together. But there is another meaning in it for me too. Going outside can mean crossing a small threshold, doing something that doesn’t come completely naturally, or meeting someone outside your usual circle. That is where unexpected conversations, ideas and experiences can emerge.
Getting out can also be a nice way to slow down for a while. On your phone, there is always something else competing for your attention, while a walk or a conversation can create a little more space. Really listening to someone also requires something that can easily become fragmented online: your attention.
I see how much my parents value the contact they have with people in their neighbourhood. At the same time, it isn’t always easy to simply ask someone you don’t know very well if they would like to do something together. You don’t know whether they have time, whether they would be interested, and no one wants to feel like they’re imposing or risk being rejected. Yet I think the willingness to do something together is often there.
And of course, it’s also just nice to meet new people. I actually met my current group of friends through a smartphone app. That showed me that technology can also be the beginning of something beyond the screen: a meeting, a friendship, or simply a good experience.
So I don’t see technology as something we need to get away from. Online, we can discover ideas, find inspiration and come across different perspectives. I like it when that digital world can sometimes also be a bridge to what happens beyond the screen.
So maybe go for a walk with someone in your neighbourhood, have a coffee, or do something completely different. Not because it has to lead to anything big, but simply to see what happens.