Post
From Facebook getting us to assign “friendship” to casual acquaintances, to LinkedIn encouraging us to call a stack of business cards “a network,” social media has completely reshaped how we define and maintain relationships. And not for the better.
We were sold the idea that we could build meaningful community in spaces driven by data extraction and algorithmic manipulation. But the reality? These platforms have diluted the meaning of connection.
They've taught us to value visibility over vulnerability, virality over trust, and convenience over commitment.
We now scroll through curated versions of each other’s lives, mistaking performance for presence. We confuse likes and comments with support systems. And far too often, we expect solidarity from people we don’t even know.
Let’s be honest, “community” built from convenience without shared values, mutual investment, and honest relationship, isn’t really community.
It’s a simulation. And when tested, it crumbles.
If there’s anything we’ve learned in the past few years, it’s that digital proximity doesn’t equal emotional intimacy. When crisis hits, when accountability is needed, or when harm happens, these algorithm-built communities often fall silent, disappear, or worse, cause more harm.
It’s time we get serious about what community really means.
Real community is built on trust, boundaries, accountability, and mutual care.
It requires intention, time, and relationship. It doesn’t come from follows, retweets, or connection requests. It comes from showing up, again and again.
We need spaces that support depth, not just scale. We need connection rooted in truth, not trend.
Let’s stop outsourcing community to platforms designed to keep us disconnected. Let’s reclaim it, co-create it, and nurture it like the lifeline it is.
A space for Bonfire maintainers and contributors to communicate
