Community Is a Design Choice, Not a Feature

 Creating a digital space is easy. Creating a digital community is not. 

Too often, I’ve joined a class discussion board or an online group with great intentions, only to see it fall silent after a few weeks. Not because the people weren’t engaged, but because the space wasn’t designed for connection. Tools like Slack, Discord, or Facebook offer features for communication, but without intentional design, these features don’t automatically lead to meaningful interaction. 

What I’ve learned is that community is not a side effect of technology; it’s the outcome of thoughtful design. It comes from asking: What kind of conversations do we want here? How do we invite people in? Who feels seen and who doesn’t? How do we create rituals of interaction, not just announcements? 

In the spaces I’ve designed or managed, whether student groups, professional forums, or grassroots education collectives, the most sustainable ones weren’t the ones with the fanciest tools. They were the ones where people felt safe to share, challenged to think, and encouraged to return. 

So, if you’re building an online space, ask yourself: Does this feel like a real invitation? Because sometimes, the difference between a quiet group and a thriving one is simply whether people feel like it’s theirs to shape.