It feels like the internet has quietly eroded a lot of the small, real world communities people used to belong to.

Twenty years ago, you might have had a group that met once a month. Something niche like rock hounding in the Pacific Northwest. You would explore together, share discoveries, and build relationships over time. Nobody was optimizing for attention. It was just a shared interest and a reason to show up.

Now it often feels like everyone is curating their own personal channel. Instead of groups, we have audiences. Instead of participation, we have followers. That shift changes incentives toward visibility, performance, and self promotion. It is not surprising that it can drift into narcissism.

What seems missing is the structure that encouraged people to do things together in the physical world. Not document them or broadcast them. Just do them.

It would be nice to see more emphasis on building things locally again. That could be starting a garden, putting up a shed, or organizing a small volunteer group. Even something like helping out regularly on a housing project or conservation effort creates a different kind of connection than anything online.

Online spaces are great for coordination and learning, but they are a poor substitute for shared, tangible work. The balance feels off.

Part of the fix might be broadening how people define themselves. Instead of centering identity around a single issue or signal, there is value in being part of a few different, practical communities. A hobby group, a volunteer org, or even something as simple as helping run a local club.

None of this is new, but it does feel like something we have drifted away from.