The New Safe Space

Let’s talk about context collapse.

“The enduring net good of the internet is its utility as a resource for those looking for a community they can’t or don’t feel comfortable finding IRL.”

This quote from the all-things-internet newsletter, Embedded, gets at social media’s promise to help you find your people. Whether you’re a book binder, tarot card reader, beer brewer, or crypto trader — there’s a community for everyone. But there’s no guarantee the content you share within those groups will stay there. Case in point: a group of cosplayers on TikTok recently went viral after reaching the “wrong side” of the app, meaning non-cosplayers began to mock their videos en masse. The comfort of online spaces is threatened by the risk of algorithmic transplant to a less welcoming corner of the internet.

This story demonstrates the danger of “context collapse,” which researcher and author danah boyd describes as misinterpreting messages when viewing them, “without knowing the context and history of a given group or individual.” The fear of context collapse has social media users very aware of who can see and interact with their content — resulting in new behaviors online.

For several years, people have slowly retreated into more private spaces online by communicating, often exclusively, via features like Instagram’s Close Friends Story, a locked “finsta” account, or private Snapchat groups. The recent launch of Twitter Flocks, which let’s you Tweet to curated groups, is the latest response to this preference. With the risk of mockery, rise of cancel culture, and age-old discomfort of your grandma trying to decipher a meme intended for your peers — intentional audience shrinking has become the new safe space.

Safe spaces allows users to escape the worst of the internet, be vulnerable, and even be a little ridiculous. How can brands similarly share content in ways that feel exclusive, authentic, and segmented for the right audiences? Here are some of the ways we’re seeing this play out:

• Services like Vermont-based site, Front Porch Forum, focus on curating hyper-local communities in which everyone is confirmed to have a real, Vermont addresses.
• A small group of creators are testing Instagram subscriptions that grant users access to their most exclusive content. This comes after years of influencers similarly charging followers for a spot on their Close Friends list.
• Friends and family are still the most trusted sources of brand information. Brands are turning to closed groups to recreate this kind of intimacy with customers via platforms like Discord and direct message.
• Some brands like Slim Jim post finsta-like content on their main social accounts. These branded “shitposting” pages tend to resonate among Gen Z and those who understand the often-unhinged nature of finsta accounts.

We all want to belong and feel understood. How else can communicators create and foster places that allow for this safety?

For several years, people have slowly retreated into more private spaces online by communicating, often exclusively, via features like Instagram’s Close Friends Story, a locked “finsta” account, or private Snapchat groups. The recent launch of Twitter Flocks, which let’s you Tweet to curated groups, is the latest response to this preference. With the risk of mockery, rise of cancel culture, and age-old discomfort of your grandma trying to decipher a meme intended for your peers — intentional audience shrinking has become the new safe space.

Safe spaces allows users to escape the worst of the internet, be vulnerable, and even be a little ridiculous. How can brands similarly share content in ways that feel exclusive, authentic, and segmented for the right audiences? Here are some of the ways we’re seeing this play out:

• Services like Vermont-based site, Front Porch Forum, focus on curating hyper-local communities in which everyone is confirmed to have a real, Vermont addresses.
• A small group of creators are testing Instagram subscriptions that grant users access to their most exclusive content. This comes after years of influencers similarly charging followers for a spot on their Close Friends list.
• Friends and family are still the most trusted sources of brand information. Brands are turning to closed groups to recreate this kind of intimacy with customers via platforms like Discord and direct message.
• Some brands like Slim Jim post finsta-like content on their main social accounts. These branded “shitposting” pages tend to resonate among Gen Z and those who understand the often-unhinged nature of finsta accounts.

We all want to belong and feel understood. How else can communicators create and foster places that allow for this safety?

For several years, people have slowly retreated into more private spaces online by communicating, often exclusively, via features like Instagram’s Close Friends Story, a locked “finsta” account, or private Snapchat groups. The recent launch of Twitter Flocks, which let’s you Tweet to curated groups, is the latest response to this preference. With the risk of mockery, rise of cancel culture, and age-old discomfort of your grandma trying to decipher a meme intended for your peers — intentional audience shrinking has become the new safe space.

Safe spaces allows users to escape the worst of the internet, be vulnerable, and even be a little ridiculous. How can brands similarly share content in ways that feel exclusive, authentic, and segmented for the right audiences? Here are some of the ways we’re seeing this play out:

• Services like Vermont-based site, Front Porch Forum, focus on curating hyper-local communities in which everyone is confirmed to have a real, Vermont addresses.
• A small group of creators are testing Instagram subscriptions that grant users access to their most exclusive content. This comes after years of influencers similarly charging followers for a spot on their Close Friends list.
• Friends and family are still the most trusted sources of brand information. Brands are turning to closed groups to recreate this kind of intimacy with customers via platforms like Discord and direct message.
• Some brands like Slim Jim post finsta-like content on their main social accounts. These branded “shitposting” pages tend to resonate among Gen Z and those who understand the often-unhinged nature of finsta accounts.

We all want to belong and feel understood. How else can communicators create and foster places that allow for this safety?

This article first appeared in the Media Genius newsletter on February 14, 2022. Subscribe for more signals and innovations in media, culture, and tech.