You were probably scrolling through Instagram or TikTok and came across what appears to be a ‘Community’ or a ‘Collective’ as they like to be called.
With the increased discussions on loneliness as a trending topic, many people are now looking to meet new people and make friends through community-based initiatives.
At first, it may seem like a daunting and crazy idea, just signing up for a dinner or an activity with completely random people on the internet and meeting irl.
In essence, participating in community collectives mirrors the experiences of using Uber or couch surfing. In both cases, we willingly enter the space of strangers, where they’re comfortable and we’re not. It’s similar to you meeting someone on Tinder (who is a complete stranger I must add) and meeting each other in the middle of the night to ‘Netflix and Chill’ and never see each other again out of shame and guilt.
However, community collectives offer the opportunity to meet new people in secure environments, unlike randomly booking a car via an app or entering unfamiliar spaces when public transportation isn’t available.
What recently piqued my interest was TimeLeft.
It’s a platform at allows you to meet 5 strangers for dinner, on a Wednesday evening and get to know each other. I was intrigued and decided to try it out for myself — I can’t give my feedback right now as my first dinner will be in 2 weeks, so I’ll be back with my thoughts on the experience.
As I live in Germany, I’ve also come across the Hot Girl Walk in Berlin, and you might be wondering… what is it? As the name implies, it’s hot girls walking, jk, but the primary objective isn’t just about exercising outdoors; it’s to provide women across the city with a chance to connect offline. As this gathering is exclusively for women, it serves as a safe haven. The emphasis lies on fostering camaraderie, exchanging ideas, and forging friendships, rather than pursuing romantic relationships.
I’d love to list all the collective initiatives I’ve come across on social media, but that requires more time and effort.
But….
I will be back with my review on TimeLeft and maybe more.
