In its most basic form, Lego is intended to be constructed, demolished, and rebuilt into a completely different object. For any aspiring young Elon Musk, what was a spaceship one day could easily be a racing car the next, but what record survives after each transition? Every day in 2014, 1.8 billion photos were uploaded (“every two minutes, humans take more photos than there were 150 years ago,” according to The Atlantic”). With the creation of a free social network for its young fans between the ages of five and thirteen, Lego is now contributing to our selfie-obsessed culture.
It goes by the name of Lego Life and is essentially an Instagram for Lego. Given that the theoretical joining age for Instagram is 13, you might think about using Lego Life as virtual training wheels before creating a full-fledged Instagram account. Children can participate in building challenges, follow other fans, and share photos of their creations with other builders. Lego celebrities like Lego Batman and Master Wu from Ninjago will be present to offer their opinions on creations.
Instagram is doing okay so far; however, Lego Life seems like a much nicer setting. Lego Life has child safety built into its very foundations, unlike Instagram, which was criticized earlier this month by the children’s commissioner for England.
Personal information cannot be shared, and avatars are recolorable Lego minifigures. User-generated content can only be commented on using Lego emoji, stickers, and pre-written text responses. Images and comments are moderated through a filter and by Lego staff. Photos with identifying information are prohibited from the website.
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If it works, that’s pretty admirable. Although the internet can be wonderful, it can also quickly make you lose faith in people. However, even though I wholeheartedly support the justification for this child safety measure, I find it quite sad that a social network has had much of its sociability taken away.
I made some lifelong friendships through IRC and forums when I was growing up in the late 1990s, when the internet was still developing. These are people I still see frequently now.
You can’t help but wonder how many potential lifelong friendships will never be allowed to blossom when young Lego enthusiasts graduate beyond Lego Life and into the Wild West of the unsecured internet because you have no way of identifying your fellow anonymous mini-figures.
Conclusion
Even so, it’s pointless to speculate about what might have happened in a less evil alternate reality. If your child is a huge fan of Lego, you can now download the app on iOS and Android. It is free, has no in-app purchases, and the only advertisements are for Lego products.
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