Building Communities with the Power of Tech

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‘Technology’ and ‘community’ typically conjures ideas of online forums, blogs, and chatrooms. But what about offline spaces?

By definition, a community is simply a unified body of individuals with a common characteristic, be that in a geographical location or a shared interest. Advancements in technology can facilitate the development of the latter even if all people have is the former – especially during a time when we can’t physically enjoy a combined space.

Turning to tech

During the pandemic, we’ve increasingly turned to digital solutions for everything from newsgathering to entertainment and communication. It’s easy to pigeonhole this generation as digital hermits, noses buried in phones and laptops. But these online platforms are increasingly helping us to find our offline networks too: they just look different to before.

As we have said time and again, humans are social creatures, we crave a sense of connectedness, of belonging, and when we’ve not been able to achieve this in person, we’ve sought it online. Recent statistics show that nearly one out of every two humans on the planet can engage socially with others online, with 45% of us now owning at least one smart device.

Even as far back as 2015, over half of those polled in a US survey said, “the explosion of digital technologies and connectivity has done more to connect than to isolate [people] and will continue to improve their overall quality of life.”

Professional people

In a work environment, Theresa Amabile’s The Progress Principle shows us that making progress towards a shared mission is the most motivating force an employee can feel, fostering shared accountability while preserving autonomy. The results are tangible: as engagement grows, the community gets smarter and generates more value.

According to the Cone Communications Echo Global CSR study, 81% of employees consider corporate social responsibility when deciding where to work, a sense of purpose and easy ways to get involved rather than simply a salary.

Even externally, consumers today expect more from their relationships with brands. They don’t just want a customer support email address and a newsletter; they want deeper interaction with the company and fellow buyers of the product or service. The top five brands in 2019 — Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook — have all made significant investments into their digital and in-person community engagement.

Building a tribe

But this is a challenge both technologically and culturally. Successful communities create an environment that exposes the value generated, has a shared purpose and values which is communicated, with visibly defined rewards and healthy participation.

Buildings that have these intrinsic measures built into their very fabric will attract businesses sharing this ethos, in turn enabling them to offer a sustainable competitive advantage and drive brand awareness. This will encourage value production and therefore overall commercial valuation of the building itself: the benefits are cyclical.  

While there is no substitute for real in-person engagement, digital technology will be a vital tool in re-creating community connections. Combining demonstrable community support with today’s technology will accelerate the future of community building.

The future of business is a more open, connected, engaging one. The world moves fast, but by combining the lessons of history with the technologies of today, we can strengthen our communities at a time when they are more physically divided than ever.