Platforms as the Preface to Community

The bricks and mortar aren't enough, for a home, you need love.

Social platforms teach us a lot about community building. They are, after all, a big empty room in digital space, with fairground-esque arrows on the doors suggesting fun to be found within. Once inside, you're confronted by a maze of mirrors that stimulate community.

That's not to say that community can't be found on social media. It most certainly can.

I imagine everyone has seen a local Facebook group or heard of the power of online fandom. Very few people in these communities are nameless, faceless, things. They are people. They have likes, dislikes, friends and enemies.

People, and perhaps humanity, can be boiled down to relationships. How we perceive the world and the the things we encounter in it. A Facebook group is no different. Without people, humanity and emotion, a Facebook group is just an empty room.

Now, add James, Lucy, and Jill. All of them live in the same town. They probably went to the same school. In a room, they have a conversation and it's highly likely it's about their shared interests (unless, of course, one of them is a narcissist). Now enters Jameel, Isaak, and Fiona. They see the ongoing conversation and jump in. 'The butchers on that street? Yeah, my husband works there'. 'Oh, my cat just loves that park your kids play in.' Etc.

People keep coming back to the room. They ask questions, trusting the others in their for answers. They invite their friends and their friends invite their friends. Suddenly, Kyle, Jill's ex is in there and there's a spat. Everyone grabs their popcorn. It's community!

The empty room isn't community. Jill isn't community. Isaak isn't community. Kyle, although he might think it, definitely isn't community. But when you put these people with a shared interest together, they are community. It moves with them, but isn't reliant on a single one.

So, when we at the Newsmast Foundation build a community app, it's fair to say that it isn't community. It, just like a Facebook group or an empty room, is a platform for community. A preface.

Of course, there are differences between all three examples. But the Newsmast Foundation's Community Apps are the only ones built community-first (unless we're talking about an empty room in a pub).

But, like the room or the Facebook group, no community-first platform will be a refuge for community without effort. It won't happen overnight. You need James, Lucy and Jill in there, showcasing what the space is for, pulling pints, before others join. Just one of them won't work, Lucy alone is just Lucy, with the others, she's the beginning of the community.

But you also need to be careful, if you invite Kyle to the group too soon, he might change the atmosphere of the community.

So, why does this silly metaphor matter and why can't we just go to the pub?

Because no one does community properly anymore. We now think that community equates to followers or other vanity metrics. Sure, that's a good start for understanding interest, but it's far from community.

Places community grew on social media are now wastelands. Full of AI-generated pictures depicting a local town in a zombie apocalypse, or algorithm injected hot takes. To bring these communities back, we need dedicated spaces and community leaders, the handful of people who begin the conversation.

Organisations are a good place to start. They're leaders on topical conversations, have dedicated spokespeople, and want to build a community.

Beyond that, I want to see less formal communities coming together and organising digitally. If fandoms can raise thousands to buy whoever the next big thing is a new pair of Gucci slippers, they can come together to provide platforms for themselves which are better.

And, they need to. The communities I used to be a part of online have been destroyed by social algorithms. People I saw on a feed regularly, who I formed friendships with, have gone missing in the digital void. Their posts no longer worthy of the platforms attention. As a result, I've lost touch with nearly all of them (notably, not the lucky woman who is now my fianceé).

This is our chance to really build community. Carefully, sure. But quickly too. All it takes is a little effort and a little initiative.