Online communities have changed my life. One put me on the current course of my life, having deepened my understanding of who I am and what I want. The second, through vulnerable sharing and thoughtful explanations has helped me understand my brain in a way I never dreamed possible.
Oh, and there have been so many opportunities to doom scroll as well. I’ve fallen into thirst traps and conspiracies a-plenty.
But here is the thing. The communities are what you make them. It’s just as true anywhere you may go.
I am going to miss TikTok. I doubt there will be anything close to it in my lifetime. I have never had an online resource show me so much of what I needed to see. So many people with ease and experience and even urgency explaining so much.
Yeah, there are many places to watch videos online. Reels and Shorts and everything else.
The trick, now, is to connect in a way that isn’t owned by anyone other than you and me, and not subject to any prevailing political winds.
Tim Leary said to find the others.
I’m other. I’m one.
Let’s go further.
How do we do this?