There was a time when community wasn’t something we had to schedule or chase. It simply existed around us such as in our neighbourhoods, workplaces, or third spaces. We have lost the art of spontaneous outings or gatherings because everyone is just so busy. Today, many of us feel more isolated than ever.
The decline of community hasn’t happened all at once. It’s been a slow erosion, shaped by shifting priorities, and the disappearance of third spaces where people did gather.
One of the most significant drivers of this isolation is the changing nature of work. For many, work now consumes any time in the evening where you could meet your friends. This is even more so the case with irregular work hours since a strict 9-5 doesn’t even seem to exist nowadays.
Long commutes, demanding schedules, and the expectation to be constantly available blur the boundaries between professional and personal time. Even remote work can deepen isolation by removing the daily, casual interactions that once grounded us. Without these small but meaningful moments, work becomes just a source of income, and a wedge between us and the social world.
Beyond work, the disappearance of third spaces has faded community. Sociologists use this term to describe places that are not home (the first space) or work (the second space), but somewhere in between e.g. cafés, bookstores, libraries.
These spaces offered low-pressure environments to meet new people and create new friendships.
Today, many of these spaces are vanishing or transforming.Everything is so expensive now that people can’t casually hang out in coffee shops or other spaces all the time. Or even when people are at such coffee shops everyone wearsheadphones and works remotely.
Shopping centres and local shops have declined since everyone buys online now. Without these third spaces, there are fewer chances for spontaneous connection. We turn to sparse scheduled time instead of the kind that feels effortless.
Technology has further eroded community too. Social media creates the illusion of closeness but often lacks the substance of real companionship. You can follow someone’s life updates without ever sharing a conversation.
Digital friendships can be meaningful, but they don’t always replace the emotional connection that comes from face-to-face interaction. It results in us being more connected than ever in a technical sense, yet increasingly isolated in a social one.
Despite all this, the longing for community has become stronger. This is seen with the emergence of female social clubs, yoga studios, book clubs, or even the performative male contests that were trending this past summer.
These efforts remind us that community doesn’t disappear because we stop needing it.
Community begins with small acts like making time for a friend even at your own inconvenience, or being the one who extends the first invitation.
Community is a gradual change.