A Desire for Digital Well-Being Will Create the Tipping Point for Communities
Niche communities offer sweet relief from the toxicity of social media
In the dynamic digital landscape, the separation between online communities and social media platforms is growing more distinct.
In 2023, we watched Twitter implode and saw the US Surgeon General issue a statement calling loneliness a public health crisis.
Against this backdrop, digital consumers are waking up to the fact that social media has failed to deliver the human connection it promised.
In a society yearning for genuine connection, psychological safety, and a sense of belonging, author Greg Jones called out social media platforms for what they have become: “embittered people obsessing in digitally mediated echo-chambers, getting all hopped up into murderous rages about this or that.”
Conversations about the negative impacts of social media have reached a tipping point, and in 2024 we’ll see a critical mass of people saying “enough.”
Enough with worrying about data privacy.
Enough with the time-sucking distraction of doomscrolling.
Enough with the impact of social media addiction on our physical and mental health.
Enough with torrents of unmoderated vitriol in the name of free speech.
Niche communities offer sweet relief from the toxicity.
Right now, there’s confusion among the general public about the difference between a community and an audience. That will soon change as more people come to understand what communities offer – and decide they are willing to pay for it.
As communities capitalize on this mass migration, there will be a rise in collaboration and cross-pollination that will make it easier for users to discover niche communities flying under the radar.
Because while people will flock to the deep connections and sense of belonging they find in micro communities, they haven’t forgotten what made social media in its heyday so much fun: the variety and the chance to discover new voices.
The loneliness epidemic and the failure of social media
The public health warning from US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy - echoed by science journalist Catherine Price and many other voices - represents a profound reassessment of our digital interactions.
People are awakening to the realization that their engagement in mainstream social media comes at a cost – the cost of their attention, their well-being, and their privacy.
In a New Yorker article last August, Cal Newport eloquently explained why “We Don’t Need a New Twitter.” The concept of a global conversation platform is so inherently flawed it’s doomed to fail.
Early humans survived by being keenly aware of threats – evolution has made sure that negative, emotionally charged messages grab our attention. In our modern world, those charged messages are the ones most likely to be shared and amplified, turning the digital public square into a bitter place of anger and confrontation.
It’s socially dangerous and emotionally exhausting.
Since the release of the 2020 documentary “The Social Dilemma,” a growing number of people are pushing back, advocating for slower, more intentional engagement.
They’ve taken note of the destruction the attention economy wreaks on mental health, and they’re opting to prioritize their digital well-being over the dopamine hit of endless scrolling.
To those users, small, moderated, curated online communities feel like a breath of fresh air.
Communities rise to fill the gap
Even with a general retreat from social media, we can’t unring the bell – online interactions are an integral thread in the fabric of millions of people’s social lives.
Niche communities are perfectly poised to fill the gap. These small, curated spaces offer a refuge from the tumult of mainstream social media.
They prioritize psychological safety and genuine interactions over virality and sensationalism, fostering meaningful exchanges with a refreshing dose of empathy and a search for understanding.
In short, they provide everything online users want that social media – however well intentioned – simply can’t.
The challenge has always been monetizing these communities to keep them viable. Creators often found micro communities as a passion project, then burn out trying to sustain them.
New tools and models of collaboration and cross-pollination will come into play here, making it easier for users to discover new communities and for communities to find new members.
Why would people pay to join communities when they’ve been participating in social media for “free?” Because they’re starting to realize that when something is free, they are the product.
Users are not the customers of social media platforms; advertisers are. For years, our attention has been sold to the highest bidder. Now users are pushing back.
People are tired of aggressive ad formats that prioritize engagement for profit. They’re seeking alternatives that prioritize their well-being – and we have every indication they are willing to invest in spaces that offer curated knowledge in an environment free from the toxicity and polarization of social media.
Looking ahead to 2024
As we stand on the threshold of 2024, the dichotomy between social media and distinct online communities is becoming more pronounced.
People yearn for spaces that promote understanding, empathy, and genuine connections, free from algorithmic manipulation and commodified attention.
The clamor for online communities that foster a thoughtful exchange of information and prioritize psychological safety marks a significant turning point in the Internet’s evolution. By embracing the ethos of genuine community and curated belonging, we pave the way for a more humane and intentional digital world.
This won’t be the death knell of social media by any stretch of the imagination, but more and more people will be willing to bid farewell to the hatred and noise of social media and willing to pay to spend a larger slice of their digital time and attention elsewhere.
PS. I’m so glad you’re reading along! I’d especially love to hear what you think about this trend. Is it true for you? Are you on Substack partly to get away from the parts of social media that you don’t enjoy? Your voice matters, and I’d love to hear from you.
At this point, there are so many communities for so many things, that I think the future of communities IS niche ones.
UPDATE from June 2025: With the addition of Notes and lives has Substack cracked the code? It's delivering the novelty and discovery of social media, alongside the quieter spaces of paid, niche communities. So much of what I wrote here still rings true. (There's a follow up article where I spoke about Substack, too.)