We can look for and/or build Reddit substitutes, but just my 2c, this is a fine prompt to question not just the instantiation but the concept itself.
I have better luck online. Heck, I had better luck in mobile game guilds. And the pandemic honestly made things even worse, worse in a way that has longer term effects than I ever predicted.
I can have a whole multi-post rant about the fall of social hubs, the futility of Meetups, and simply the difficulties of a late 20's male trying to find a friend group their age, but that's probably too tangential for a post asking about online communities.
This person has been thinking hard about this: https://twitter.com/Prigoose, https://prigoose.substack.com/
The only better place in theory is up north in Silicon Valley. But I'm not sure if I want to move and drastically up my cost of living in the process.
Agreed that there's not great resources for local discovery, beyond Discord groups and Meetups (which sort of died during the pandemic)
I've never been happier having stopped using it!
most of the political/activist/policy-driven discussions on reddit have no impact on the real world and lots of energy is just dissipated into typing that goes in to a db and no further
case in point...most local subs are mobilized against NIMBYs...but NIMBYs tend to voice their concerns at City Council meetings (where it matters), not on the internet...guess who wins?
reddit just takes the energy out of activism and dissipates it
To talk about media, hobbies, and maybe even to foster professional skills. I feel those were the most valuable communities.