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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Marvin Liao’s argument is that digital content and access are becoming abundant while in-person presence and shared experiences may feel more valuable. That is a forecast about changing perceptions—not proof that real-life connection is gaining value everywhere, or that AI and offline life are opposites.
What “IRL versus URL” means
“IRL” means “in real life”; “URL” evokes the web address and life online. In his September 17, 2026 essay, Liao uses the contrast to describe a possible shift in perceived scarcity: online content is easy to access and reproduce, while showing up in person requires time, place and other people.
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The distinction is not that digital experiences have no value. Liao’s more nuanced claim, echoed in a post he quotes from Jonas Willett, is that greater time spent online could make direct human connection feel more premium. “It’s not AI vs. IRL,” Willett says in the post as quoted by Liao. “It’s that the more we live online, the more premium real-life connection becomes.”
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The essay opens with Andrew Yeung’s prediction that in-person events will grow as AI-generated material makes feeds and inboxes harder to assess. Yeung’s claim is a forecast, not a measured finding. Liao connects it to post-pandemic interest in physical social activity, but the essay does not establish a trend covering every population or market.
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Aleksandar Svetski, also quoted by Liao, predicts that social networking will move further offline through dinners, retreats, conferences, clubs, creator communities and hybrid communities. He points to venues such as shops and cafes as possible places for people to gather. These are examples of what might happen, not evidence that every format or venue is growing.
The underlying logic is straightforward: a feed can circulate content widely, but it cannot reproduce the full experience of being together at a particular time and place. That difference may make an event or gathering feel distinctive. Whether it becomes more valuable depends on people’s circumstances, access and preferences.
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Which kinds of IRL experiences the essay identifies
Liao’s examples span casual social time, organized groups and ticketed events. The following organization is a practical way to think about those examples, not a ranking or a measured comparison from the essay.
| Format | Examples named in the essay | What to consider |
|---|---|---|
| Low-barrier gathering | Dinners and board-game nights | Potentially informal and small-group; cost and accessibility depend on the host and venue. |
| Recurring community | Clubs, hobby groups and creator communities | Can create repeated contact; location, schedule and group size vary. |
| Ticketed or planned event | Conferences, retreats, live sports and live entertainment | May demand more planning and money; availability and access vary by event and place. |
| Hands-on or outdoors activity | Nature, outdoor activities, woodworking, gardening and cooking | Requires appropriate space, equipment or conditions depending on the activity. |
Dan Romero, quoted by Liao, also points to board games and retro videogames as experiences that can bring people together offline. These examples illustrate the range of activities in the argument; they do not establish that demand for any particular hobby is rising.
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What the business examples do—and do not—show
An embedded post by Jonas Willett, relayed in Liao’s essay, presents event platforms and businesses as signs of attention to in-person experiences. It names Corner, Partiful, Posh, Luma, Burwoodland, Rodeo and a16z Build. The same post makes claims about users, funding, investment and event-related job listings, but Liao’s essay does not provide the underlying datasets or establish that the figures are current or comparable.
For example, the post is said to report 60K+ users for Corner, 500K+ monthly active users for Partiful, 6 million registered users for Posh, and more than 2 million users signing up for events on Luma. These are different measures, reported through the post, and should not be read as a like-for-like ranking. The post also claims $60 million in combined funding for Partiful, Posh and Luma, and says more than $750 million was deployed on “anti-AI” bets over three months. Those figures are claims relayed by Liao, not independently verified statistics in the essay.
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Likewise, salary figures for experiential and event roles appear in the embedded post, but the essay does not establish whether they refer to salary, total compensation, ranges or current openings. They cannot serve as a reliable labor-market benchmark on this evidence alone. Company activity may indicate interest; it does not by itself prove a broad shift in consumer behavior or that in-person experiences are becoming more valuable to everyone.
How to apply the idea without treating it as a rule
If the “new scarcity” thesis resonates, it can be useful as a prompt to choose the kind of connection you want—not as a directive to abandon online life or spend more on events. A simple way to act on it is to match an activity to your time, budget, location and appetite for interaction.
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- For an easy first step: invite a few people to dinner or a board-game night.
- For repeated contact: look for a club, hobby meetup or community that meets on a schedule you can sustain.
- For a one-off shared experience: consider a local performance, sports event or conference, while weighing ticket and travel costs.
- For hands-on time: try an outdoor activity or a practical hobby such as cooking, gardening or woodworking, provided you have suitable access and equipment.
These options differ in cost, accessibility, group size and time commitment; there is no universally best format. A recurring, nearby gathering may be more meaningful and practical than a costly event, while a ticketed experience may suit someone seeking a particular performance or occasion.
Is real-life connection actually becoming more valuable?
Liao makes a persuasive case for why physical presence could feel more distinctive amid abundant online material, but his essay is opinion-led. Its quotations and business examples do not amount to a controlled study demonstrating a general rise in demand or value across regions and groups. The careful conclusion is conditional: online saturation may increase the appeal of particular in-person experiences, while digital and physical activities can complement one another.
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