Think Facebook private groups.

Young people crave tight-knit communities, privacy, safety, and a respite from the throngs of masses on large-scale platforms.

Americans 12 to 34 years old across several platforms has either leveled off or is waning, while 2019 research from Global Web Index suggests that the amount of time millennial and Gen Z audiences spend on many social platforms is either flat, declining, or not rising as greatly as it has in years’ past.

Micro-community often live on traditional social platforms, yet they can also spark in unexpected places: Discord — a platform designed for gamers, has become something of an under-the-radar hub for beauty obsessives.

Digital campfires become a much more attractive alternative — one that requires more groundwork and more careful tending, but one that could potentially have big payoffs for brands in terms of loyalty, retention, and long-term love.

Social platforms are still reporting robust growth — yes, even FB — despite growing opposition. But dig a little deeper, and a more nuanced picture emerges. When you look at who is — and more importantly, who is not — driving the growth of social platforms, a key demographic appears to be in retreat: young people.

3. Shared Experience:

Like the private messaging campfires, micro-community campfires often live on traditional social platforms. Facebook Groups are probably the best-known example. The “close friends” feature within Instagram Stories has become a tool some influencers are using to share exclusive content and interact with small groups of their followers, for a fee.... See more

Fortnite - half of teens say they use it to keep up with their friends, with most spending 6 to 10 hours each week on the platform.