Key Points:
Background on changes presented by the rise social media
In depth look into popular platforms
Lasting effects of the impact of these platforms and what the future may hold
Often in life we find ourselves picking up and falling in love with new hobbies. Sometimes we're able to rope our friends and family in and have them share in our enthusiasm; many times we end up taking it on by ourselves. Over time most people eventually find a social circle that fits their niche and allows them to pursue and enjoy their interests, but for so many full-time students, this process can take too long.
As social media has evolved, more and more spaces have opened up that allow enthusiasts of any hobby to find a place where they belong. These spaces can be found on most mainstream platforms as well as on platforms specifically made to fit a hobby. For this article I jumped online and tried to see how effective these platforms are using my own hobbies and interests.
Facebook:
As one of the most popular social media sites, Facebook has to continually evolve to include features that keep their customers happy and connected. Though the platform’s feature Groups has officially been around since 2010, the company has revamped it. Groups has become a popular source for people to connect with everything from gym partners to book clubs and beyond.
Because I enjoy a variety of outdoor activities, I joined the Facebook Group's Hiking and Camping in Southern California (which has over 60,000 members) and SoCal Climbing. Since joining I have found Groups to be extremely useful and a constant source of information on for meetups and reviews of local spots. I have also seen a multitude of support and advice being shared on the platform.
With so many of the Groups being location specific, users can easily connect with locals who share the same passions as them. In my case, I've found it to be a great resource for connecting with people who hike and climb at a similar level to me and have also found great deals on equipment.
Meetup:
As a platform that focuses on getting its users to connect with one another, Meetup is one of the best. Like Facebook, Meetup has an extremely wide variety of groups to join based around hobbies and interests. Where Meetup stands apart from Facebook, however, is in its strict focus as an event based platform.
To get a better understanding of different groups revolving around outdoor activities, I decided to join Trail Mix, OC HIKING CLUB, and the Meetup version of SoCal Climbers. While Facebook's Groups tend to be used more often as a space for discussion rather than actual events, Meetup's event driven platform tries to avoid this. Each group is constantly creating events that bring their community together. I found that the more active groups tended to have activities multi-weekly, hosted by members of the group, with varying levels of difficulty for each event. For the more seasoned hikers, there are fast paced, longer hikes to be found; for people who prefer to take a scenic watch approach to hiking, there are slower nature walks that focus on enjoying the area rather than getting exercise.
Though it may be a bit more intimidating for some to immediately jump in, every group I joined had events specifically catered to beginners. In my short time on the app, I found that in all the groups I joined on Meetup, each made sure to cater to new members and avoid having an elitist mentality that can scare away newcomers.
While social media has opened up the great outdoors to a new generation, not all of its impact has been positive. The influx of visitors in natural spaces inevitably leads to degradation of the landscape, an influx of litter, and negative effects on local wildlife. That being said, from what I've seen many of these outdoor loving groups promote a leave no trace ideology and do their best to lessen their impact on the environment. Both of the Facebook and Meetup groups I joined often hold cleanups in local spots and they have specific rules and guidelines they expect their members to follow during events. Though it doesn't lessen the amount of people who go to these events, it does promote a way of enjoying nature that is respectful and mindful of the surrounding environment.
If you're looking for a group to enjoy your favorite hobby with or if you're new to an area and want to find like minded individuals who love the outdoors, I highly recommend jumping online and looking at some of the options available to you. You might just meet your new best friends, learn new skills, and have an adventure.
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