Many people belong to tight-knit hobby or lifestyle groups that function like communities—hosting events, weddings, and maintaining norms—yet appear as mere 'hobbies' to outsiders. As members get wealthier, they can travel for meetups, take time off, or even co-locate by buying homes nearby, making these communities more durable.
— This reframes social capital debates by suggesting GDP growth can expand community variety rather than erode it, and warns that surveys may miss these hidden networks.
Ryan Zickgraf
2025.09.18
62% relevant
Adult Labubu meetups (DC espresso-martini photo ops; LA rave) illustrate affluent, hobby-centered micro‑communities that organize events and social life around a niche collectible, aligning with the thesis that rising wealth sustains durable, nontraditional communities.
Scott Alexander
2025.08.12
100% relevant
Commenters cite a boffer organization with knighthoods, weddings, and weekly gatherings, and FIRE groups that 'buy up most of a block' in a Colorado town and hold desert meetups like Burning Man.
2025.08.06
72% relevant
The piece details rationalist houses, a Burning Man camp (Black Lotus), and independent orgs (Leverage Research, Lightcone Infrastructure) as platforms that enabled tightly knit subgroups to form and, in some cases, drift into high-demand or occult frameworks—showing how resources and time make subcultures durable (and riskier).