These days many of the best online social experiences happen in very small-scale environments. A few friends, a loose microcommunity, a cozy corner with the right vibes.
What do we need, and what do we only reach for out of habit? What exhausts, and what nourishes?
Social environments on the internet provide a bountiful — and sometimes incongruous — bundle: conversation, riffing, jokes and shitposts, entertainment, learning, distraction, inspiration, meeting interesting people.
It's a beautiful bundle, to be sure! It... See more