The Community Delusion

while community may be “possible” in social wellness environments, “it’s not inherent,” Sabiston says. “You can’t build it with tech. You can’t build that with bricks and mortar. It comes from a natural sense of the purpose, and the purpose is lost in some of these branded environments.”

Within such virtual spaces, “community” is a shorthand for interaction — not necessarily belonging. From a business standpoint, community is a means to harness customer loyalty.

Communities naturally drum up hype for a brand and its products; in some instances, members might even provide feedback for product development and are the first to test new... See more

For much of history, if you asked someone to define “community,” they’d give you an answer that involved a physical location — a school, synagogue, church. Today, the word community invokes something more intimate: identity. It’s not something we’re born into, but something we choose.

The promise of community begins to feel disingenuous when what’s described is little more than a euphemism for a targeted demographic of interested consumers. Is there any other reason to facilitate community if not for a business to sell more products and accrue more members? Is it possible to find real community beyond the parameters of one’s con... See more