Social Good: The Future of Social is Micro–Not Massive
On this Giving Tuesday, we at Komyūn are reflecting on the power of community organizations to help us feel a sense of belonging when the world around us becomes overwhelming.
As someone who has spent years scaling mission-driven startups, I’ve lived through the messy middle of rapid growth. There’s a strange paradox that happens as things start to go well: revenue climbs, customer numbers soar, and… people begin to feel smaller. Less seen. Less significant. I’ve had so many high-performing employees sit across from me and say, “I used to feel like I mattered here. Now I’m just a cog.”
It was a ironic but powerful lesson: growth requires us to get smaller.
Huh?
As our companies grew, I saw how important it was to shrink the experience even as we scaled the business. That meant:
Maintaining smaller teams, so people still felt known and valued
Empowering managers to shape the culture of their own groups
Creating clear lines of sight between someone’s daily work and the greater mission—including giving initiatives and community impact
When people understood the why behind their work, and felt like they were part of something meaningful, they didn’t burn out—they lit up. That experience shaped how I think about growth—not just in startups, but in social systems.
Social Media Is Having a Scale Problem
Much like fast-growing startups, social media platforms have dramatically scaled our digital worlds - we suddenly have to grapple with global issues every minute of every day. In trying to give us access to everything and everyone, they’ve made our world feel overwhelmingly huge—and ironically, made us feel smaller.
People log on and feel invisible. The dopamine hits from likes and shares wear thin. We’re lonelier, angrier, and more divided than ever. And it’s no coincidence: the systems were designed to reward screaming about the world over doing a small kindness for a neighbor in need.
It Doesn't Have to Be This Way
This is the Komyūn hypothesis: If we build a platform that nurtures micro-communities, people will feel not just more connected, but more meaningful. We’re building to help people see that they matter. We believe that the future of social isn’t massive networks and infinite scrolls—it’s micro-communities with macro impact.
We’ve started with families, book clubs, running clubs, peer mentorship groups, parent support groups - those spaces that make us feel seen. And we have been building based on input from nonprofits - those spaces that help us feel impactful.
The future of social media is big because the world is big. But we can tackle big global issues when we are deeply connected to our micro-communities. They charge our batteries and teach us how to solve hard problems together.
A New Kind of Growth
If we’ve learned anything from the last decade of digital life, it’s that more doesn’t always mean better. What we need now is meaningful growth—the kind that honors our humanity, supports our mental health, and amplifies our collective power.
We’re building Komyūn to do just that.
Let’s free our feeds. Let’s rebuild community. Let’s grow together.
And, please join us in celebrating Giving Tuesday by supporting the organizations that inspired Komyun:
PEPS - hyper-local parent support groups.
Everystory - bringing stories to life to unlock healing, transformation, and joy.
JustCity - transforming local criminal justice policy and practice to ensure it is fair for all people regardless of wealth, race, or ethnicity.
BuyNothing - Reduce Waste - Give away what you no longer need; Save Money - Get what you want, for free; Build Community - Meet neighbors, share creatively.
