It has been a while since I have written something. Both the world and I have undergone many changes since I last sat down to write on Substack. For starters, Substack has grown so much! They are doing a terrific job and I am so proud to be part of this community of individuals who write their ideas and share them with the world. As many of you know, I am a firm believer that knowledge sharing is one of the most important building blocks for humanity. So I appreciate Substack for being a fantastic tool that promotes knowledge and idea sharing. I also appreciate Substack because it has fostered a community of curious individuals (both those who write and those who read). True community fosters a feeling of belonging.
But, what does “belonging” mean in this new world order?
Ever since my parents took me to Mexico to escape war in Croatia in the 1990’s, I have looked for this feeling of “belonging”. I thought this was something inherent to me and only me, since I felt my heart was divided and I didn’t fully belong either in Croatia nor in Mexico. I still remember the first time I went back to Croatia, after 10 years of migrating to Mexico. I thought I would feel at home. And although there were many parts of me that did feel at home, there were many others that didn’t.
As I grew older, I understood this feeling was not something exclusive to me, a war refugee growing up in a different country than the one she was born in. “Belonging” is a need deeply engrained in us humans as a species. Everyone wants to feel like they are a part of something, that they have found their place in the world. We have been trying to belong since ancient times: from tribalism in the nomadic era to clubs in the modern times.
But the modern times changed. Covid forced us to see the world in a different light. Clubs changed from being geographically determined to becoming international. The virtual world brought us closer together. Now we could belong to any online community around the world, get a job in another continent without having to move, and even learn new skills or a whole new degree from institutions that were otherwise out of our geographical reach.
As the world grew closer online, so did the relationships between companies and their users. Take Substack, for example:
Companies are not only responding to their users/customers super quickly in this remote world, but products are being shaped by users. This feedback loop (user-company) has become immediate in the new order of things. And smart companies are using it to their advantage.
But, does sending a public message to a company make me feel like I am part of that company?
Not necessarily. What makes us feel like we are part of the company, like we belong as users, is what the company does with that message. If the company listens and reacts to what we express about their products, it starts creating a community around it. Community is created not only by receiving, but by giving back too. Am I a part of an online community just because I have joined the discord and sent a couple messages (giving)? Maybe. But do I feel a part of it? Not necessarily. I only feel a part of the community (I only belong) when someone reads and answers those messages (receiving). And that is the biggest challenge to make people belong in remoteness: being able to give back.
Since many communities (whether it be a Web3 project on discord or a slack workspace for a company) nowadays happen online, their size has incremented exponentially from the “real” world communities. Before, you could attend an event and feel like you belonged just because you were “there”. Now, that feeling of being “there” is harder to achieve if you are someone who doesn’t participate. Or if you participate and your participations are not acknowledged and reciprocated.
I do believe in belonging in remoteness. I just think it takes more hands on deck to make it possible. And it takes a true effort from every member of the community. How you ignite the spark for that true effort in your community, that is a whole other post. Also, this is just the tip of the iceberg on belonging, communities, products and remoteness…. so I will continue to share my thoughts on these topics with more posts in the future. Thanks for reading so far! If you liked, consider subscribing
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I’ll end this post with a gif. Why? Because I like gifs; they make me smile. And I hope it makes you smile, too.