Why did I ditch mainstream social media and migrate to Discord in 2023?
Anyone with children under 18 years old should be familiar with the gaming-focused popular communication app called DISCORD. Well, we do! We have three native digital-born children with a lot of stuff in their arsenal. And I am learning a lot from them.
Believe it or not, DISCORD is one of them. Sceptical at first, fallen in love now. And moving into this warm and fuzzy place of belonging.
Here are three reasons why I prefer to have a server at DISCORD wonderland.
Corporate in mind
I am very fluent in SLACK and TEAMS in my business. That’s where my company ecosystem creates value for my B2B connections. No need to say I am an ex-corporate executive, an independent professional, and an innovation practitioner. Of course, ZOOM/MEET are complementary tools in our daily business routine. Linkedin is always there as a professional network. However, I feel too businessy when I dive into that part of social networking. I need something more casual.
Creator in life
When sharing my creative work as an author, I needed clarification about my communication with my audience. Yes, this is my secondary B2C endeavour in life. (The place where I create residual and passive income, as long as I am alive and able to share my commercialised creativity.) This may also be called my lifestyle.
I am not a public figure. I do not want to be ONE. I want to hang around with like-minded people and grow in the wilderness with EASE. Freedom is my superpower and my core value! (I must admit, being a dad is a significant source of this power.)
I value my time!
My authorship and creative practice push me to communicate with my audience frequently and casually. However, I never felt that social media was my place. Maybe for fun, it is okay, but to get lost in the feeds, NO, thank you! Too much time was consumed, and the dopamine effect was out of my focus. (regardless of the privacy matters.) This is also one of the reasons that I choose to communicate via MEDIUM (and with my newsletter episodes on Linkedin.)
I was always reluctant about social media. (Especially FB Groups!)
Then, BANG! There is a new kid on the block.
Meet me in the pub
“If Slack is a conference room, Discord is a bar.” And it was built by drunken folks who were happy to chat on pub stools for hours. FUNNY.
The main logic is the same, and the environment is fuzzier. If you use Slack, Discord is almost the same architecture.
Discord was founded in 2015 with a heavy focus on gamers. The goal was to communicate with other players, preserving computing resources while running games on the same motherboard.
It is free and open-sourced! A paid NITRO option adds more HD quality and data uploading limits on your server.
There are no ADDS.
It is over 150m active monthly users now and growing. Microsoft was said to buy the company with a price tag of USD 10b. but did not come true. The company made USD 130m in 2021.
And, surprise! %80 of the users are non-gamers anymore! Like ME.
There is value here. And GROWTH.
Here are three reasons I open the server and tab at the DISCORD bar!
#1 Longevity
I like to feel younger. Who would not? The app and the design have a very youth-style fashion. There are millions of young people around and many FUN going on. The platform boosts my energy. It makes me feel more youthful. Also, focused!
I am always a beginner!
#2 Belonging
I have a mission; to build my community with like-minded people. There is only one way out if we are talking about a side hustle or a lifestyle business with commercialised creativity. You need a community! Period. It’s better to start from somewhere. Why not in a pub :)
I am building a community!
#3 Democracy
I like open-sourced platforms. I believe in API-type modular structures in life and business. I am fed up with the feeds and the media that make money on my META data. Just ask me to pay, and I will. But, do not sell my data (or use it in a way.)
I am open to new tools for creators, and flexibility is the key.
Openness is a core value to me!
Does it make sense?
Why not check with me while I build it?
A casual corner for feeling togetherness and building a community as my practice.
I will keep you posted.
Until then, may I have the bill, please?
