Does Community Matter? Cultures Longing for Connection
What happens when community becomes just another KPI?
By now, you’ve probably noticed it – maybe you’ve seen a growing number of run clubs pop up in your city, coffee bars tucked into your favourite stores, have seen community manager roles popping up on job boards, or read one of the dozens of articles proclaiming the rise of “community-based marketing.”
If you work in branding or marketing, this isn't just noise—it’s likely becoming the brief itself. Requests for “community engagement” have become the norm and you’ve certainly seen brand decks filled with new-age pillars like “cultural connector” or “community-first thinking.”
It’s clear: community has become the marketing world’s favourite buzzword. But underneath the noise, there’s a genuine cultural shift happening. Something more than just the next trend. It’s not just that brands want to feel human—it’s that people are desperate to feel something.
We’ve entered the era of connection.
Where Community Comes From
Long before we connected through screens, community was a physical, lived experience. It came from places like schools, churches, and clubs. Rituals and repetition created shared meaning. But as social structures changed and secularism grew, digital networks promised a utopian view of a world connected through screens and a void ultimately grew.