Age: The portmanteau is recent, but Homo sapiens have always been social creatures. But I thought I was supposed to be solo-maxxing! Well, that means being single, so you could do both.
Community-maxxing is seeking out regular in-person connections around you, often tied to shared interests. Vice reports that gen Z are “done doomscrolling” and are getting out in the world, sharing their passions, interests and “grandma hobbies” with like-minded folk by joining book groups, crafting circles, hiking and run clubs. You’re telling me gen Z have invented socialising?
There’s more to it than that. Community-maxxing is also being a good neighbour, feeling part of the place you live in and being open to new connections. At this summer’s Boomtown festival in the West Country, a group of Bristolian festival-goers welcomed Adam James, a young autistic fellow raver, who was attending his first festival alone, into their group for three days.
They unquestioningly accepted James, giving him what he described as the best weekend of his life. Community-maxxing is a way of combating loneliness and digitally enabled isolation, which are really problematic for their generation. Over here, Office for National Statistics research published last November found 33% of 16- to 29-year-olds felt lonely “often, always or some of the time”.
That’s bleak – no wonder they’re craving connection. Yes, humans are social creatures – we need each other. That’s true of everyone, surely, not just the youth.
Yes, community-maxxing isn’t just for kids. You might have noticed there’s a renewed interest in communal living these days, from multi-generational shared spaces to co-housing projects and communities for older people. Hmm, I don’t think I’m up for joining a commune: I’m very particular about my towels.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
