Community
Mo Shafieeha and
Community
Imagine how much relationships would change if people went into one thinking “how can I make this person’s life better” instead of “how can this person make my life better”
Sherrytwitter.comIn working so hard to become independent, we forget how much satisfaction we get from the sense that others depend on us, and the meaning we can create by allowing ourselves to be dependent on others—if only we have the courage to let them help us.
billmei.net • Friendships Form via Shared Context, Not Shared Activities
Ultimately, Agreements are a collective wish we make about how we might be in the same space together. That space could be a classroom, a sports team, a club, a conference, committees or boards, an organizing group. They reflect what we need to participate while feeling joyful, trusted, and brave.
But they also can be flimsy as hell.
But they also can be flimsy as hell.
Elise Granata • The Occasional Flimsiness of Group Agreements
Tara McMullin and
Chia Amisola
chia.design
Zooming out: great communities, in the traditional sense, required limited options so people would remain dependent: no specialists or external trade (to ensure we all collectively worked together), and no diversity or weird ideas (to ensure a homogenous group with a focus on tradition). We had far worse medical treatment, underwent excruciating manual labor, and didn’t necessarily share the same interests with others, but because we were dependent on each other, the bonds were strong. Now the options are virtually limitless, and we’re seeing our social bonds decay as a result.
The reality is that there are many outcomes that we can support, marketing is just one of them. Content is another. As is research, events, product development. Community literally has the potential to support the entire organisation.
Rosieland • On Developing the Community Profession
Contrary to what we would like to believe, there is no such thing as a structureless group. Any group of people of whatever nature that comes together for any length of time for any purpose will inevitably structure itself in some fashion. The structure may be flexible; it may vary over time; it may evenly or unevenly distribute tasks, power and... See more
What's New • The Tyranny of Stuctureless
Platforms like GoFundMe, reddit grief communities, mutual aid networks, real-time disaster storytelling, and global uprisings in reaction to systemic inequality are demonstrative, real world examples that connectivity breeds empathy and unity. The work of Taiwan’s digital minister Audrey Tang during the COVID-19 pandemic — quickly using the... See more
I don’t think technology alone can fix that. It takes people who care about other people. Caring, I think, is the one thing that cannot be outsourced or automated. We can certainly create the illusion of care, and that illusion might be better than nothing for someone who has none, but ultimately I hope everyone gets access to people who care about
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