“Chronically Online” and the Loneliness Epidemic
Let’s admit it, most of us are guilty of being chronically online. Doom-scrolling, non-stop notifications, chasing endorphins, and it is exhausting. We have the means to contact anyone with the click of a button and yet, we have never felt as far apart as we do today.
There’s an epidemic of loneliness and digital connections just aren’t giving the same depth of companionship as IRL relationships. Memes may say “touch grass” but actually, there’s a truth and need in those two words and it’s about time we stepped away from our devices and interacted with something real. Someone real.
However, it’s all well and good wanting to meet people in real life, but without the means to do so it just becomes wishful thinking. Platforms like meetup.com are excellent ways to find your people – people interested in the same things as you. And as founder of Reading Sci-Fi & Fantasy Fanatics, I’ve loved bringing like-minded individuals together, but actually, that’s the easy bit. It’s finding the space that will accommodate our interests that I’ve struggled with. So many times I’ve had to host watch parties in my own home because I haven’t been able to find somewhere that would allow it – highlighting a prevalent barrier.
Community-first spaces
So, us organisers start to ask, where can we go? Where will accept us? And these are the questions that drive GatherWhere. Having a platform that centres community and connection is needed. We’ve grown disconnected from the establishments around us, but places of business don’t have to just be about how much profit they can generate. They can become somewhere integral to their community. A trusted hub for creating those connections we crave. And it’s a two-way thing, we also bring independent venues to the fore to be discovered.
Pro-Tech, Pro-Human: A Different Kind of Platform
But don’t get me wrong, I am absolutely pro-tech, GatherWhere is digital after all, but I am also pro-human. I’ll be stepping away from the mega-corporations in how I monetise GatherWhere. Adverts will come direct from local businesses and I will unobtrusively place those ads so as not to hinder the GatherWhere experience. I’ll also commit to being community-first by fiscally giving back to better lives of those around me.
Let’s Start Meeting Differently
That is the GatherWhere ethos. It’s what we’re all about.
Ready to reconnect? Gather offline, meet somewhere new, and build something real.