I am not joking when I say that I thinked for hours about how do people find each other in 2025.
Currently, the world is in very weird state. People online are either using social video platforms or they are reading news or lurking in online forums in it’s different shapes and forms.
Most chat platforms that I know had shut down and most alt social platforms are almost dead. Even Hackernews had started to see a lower amount of comments compared to previous years.
I want a serious answer, how should I find people online to talk to about anything really other than politics?
If you’re looking for something on an individual level, I’ve found that simply putting yourself out there is the best way to find like-minded people and worthwile conversations online. Send people messages, conpliment peoples’ ideas, and do it on multiple platforms. Follow random people, strike up random conversations. Not gonna lie, maybe 70% of people I’ve tried to talk to this way are dry, uninterested, or too introverted to be comfortable talking to a stranger. A few have even been hostile, but I’ve also made a couple of long term friends this way. One of my best online friends started talking to me because I put up a “I’m bored, lets be friends” post.
Finding something you’re interested in and looking for others who like the same thing is also a great way to find people. I used to play Call of Duty a lot and would invite random people to voice chat. I ended up having a team of 6 and we would play almost every night. It doesn’t have to be gaming either, it could be a science club, religion, or city event among other things