The "vibe" economy & community building

We are becoming more and more connected as time passes, and yet, deeper meaningful connections can feel harder than ever.

This year, we’re moving away from blanket "broadcasting" and moving even more towards fostering deep-dive conversations to strengthen connections and communities. In 2026, there’s an opportunity to connect and engage on a deeper and more personal level, such as through Slack groups and Discord servers.

What does that mean for you and your marketing? Let’s dive in!

Many brands have focused on vanity metrics like followers and there’s often a hope of going viral, but this doesn’t always get you the results that you’re looking for.  Strategies trying to reach as many people as possible are built and optimized for visibility but not necessarily trust and connection. You may be feeling confused and frustrated with the algorithms, burnt out trying to stay on top of every trend, and your engagement may not be contributing to your overall business goals.

If you’re tired of shouting into the void and seeing what sticks, you need to move beyond this and look for ways to connect on a deeper level, or else the vibes are off.

So how can you connect on a deeper level? The answer may include taking the notion of community one step further through online groups that go beyond simply posting on socials.

When people are able to interact with you in authentic ways, users begin to feel more emotional connection and associate you with positive thoughts, experiences, and feelings. These become connected to value.

It feels like a more personal way to connect. Rather than broadcasting information to the masses, members can discuss and share ideas, thoughts, and more. Users see familiar names and faces, conversations continue over time, and your community continues to grow.

In the long run, this helps not only build your community, but it also helps strengthen connections. You don’t need a massive audience. Is it nice to have? Sure. But what you really need is an audience that feels connected to you, engages with you, and trusts you.

If you’d like to start, but you’re not sure how, here are a few options:

Take a peek around

Look at some of the online communities you may already be familiar with. Are you in a fun subreddit on Reddit? Is there a creator you like following? Many subreddit communities and online creators (like YouTubers) have alternate online communities; for example, dedicated Discord servers. You can join and get a feel for things so that you’re a bit more familiar with them before kicking things off.

Start small

In addition or alternatively to the above suggestion, you can start small and figure things out as you go. That may mean starting a small and invite-only group on Discord.

Design for engagement

Let’s use Discord for an example again. Design your communities around discussion and sharing. That may mean multiple threads/channels for various discussions (e.g. general discussion, photo sharing, questions/help, etc.).

Engage

Don’t just post, actually engage with people. Remember, we’re moving away from just broadcasting. That means having conversations with your community of followers.

How will you be working towards making a  deeper connection and building your community in 2026?