Authentic communities provide a sense of trust, safety, and belonging; they are critical for the health of individuals, neighborhoods, companies and democracies.

For the first 40,000+ years of human existence, our communities were constrained by where we lived. But mass global adoption of mobile phones and the internet has delivered unprecedented access to knowledge, markets, opportunities and people.

“It used to be that people were born as part of a community, and had to find their place as individuals. Now people are born as individuals, and have to find their community.”

What’s unique about product-led communities is that they orient around a product or service that helps people achieve a valuable future outcome.

As commitment to religion wanes, people are looking for other forms of belief and belonging.

Millennials and Gen Zers volunteer and participate in civic organizations less frequently than their predecessors: 28% of millenials volunteered in 2017 compared to >35% for Boomers and Gen Xers.

Consumers are searching for ways to truly connect with others online.

Young people are comfortable forging online-only or online-first relationships.

Today’s consumers want to buy from brands that take a stand on social issues they care about and share a similar sense of purpose.

Advertising interrupts the user experience; design choices maximize frequency of use and number clicks; and platforms will seek to capture more and more user data over time.