The Wild Edit / 01.2

The New Currency / Building Real Community in an Era of Loneliness

(And Why Follower Counts No Longer Matter)

8 Minute Read

Scroll through Instagram on any given day, and you’ll see influencers, celebrities, and even your next-door neighbor amassing hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of followers. Not so long ago, this digital tally served as a badge of honor, an instant signifier of reach, relevance, and success. It was 2019’s version of having the most yearbook signatures. Yet as our screens fill up with glossy feeds of purchases and expensive travels, something else has emerged in our cultural consciousness: a deep, persistent sense of loneliness.

In this paradoxical reality, having thousands of virtual fans doesn’t necessarily translate into meaningful human connection. As follower count grows, engagement drops and it’s become increasingly clear that follower counts have become irrelevant beyond a short-lived ego boost. What does matter is creating and nurturing a real community, one that transcends metrics and algorithms.

The Algorithm Doesn’t Care About Your Follower Count

The algorithm, the supreme leader of the social media autocracy, dictates who sees what and when. Like any good dictator, its logic is opaque, and trying to understand the how and why is a futile exercise. Fine-tuned and tweaked almost daily, its inner workings remain just out of reach, making it virtually impossible to keep up.

One thing we do know: Instagram tests each piece of content on a small sample of followers to gauge its performance. If a post holds attention for five or more seconds of screen time, paired with likes, saves, and shares, it gets pushed to more followers. If it keeps performing, it earns a coveted spot on the Explore Page, opening the door to a fresh audience. Engagement is the currency, and the algorithm is the gatekeeper.

On the other end of the spectrum is TikTok, where users scroll the For You Page, priding themselves on having crafted it algorithmically, brick by brick. The more you engage, i.e. watching videos in their entirety, liking, commenting, and sharing, the more TikTok refines your feed, pulling you deeper into a niche. That one time you liked a video of a woman feeding raccoons at her window? Now you’re in raccoon-core, whether you like it or not. The algorithm doesn’t care about personal preference, only engagement. FYP is much like Instagram’s Explore page, except that it functions as the primary scrolling mechanism, making an actual following list almost meaningless.

How We Got Here

It’s easy to forget that social media began as a tool to bring people closer and reunite long-lost friends, a way to connect strangers who shared niche passions, and allowing families on opposite sides of the globe to Facetime and feel a sense of togetherness. Over time the focus shifted from creating real bonds to accumulating visible indicators of popularity: likes, shares, comments, saves and above all, followers.

Today, mainstream platforms are saturated with AI-filtered selfies and meticulously curated reels. From jam-packed productivity mornings to dinners at trendy restaurants, we see the only the best moments from everyone’s collective online lives. One might follow hundreds of accounts and ironically feel more isolated, scrolling alone through highlight reels of others’ lives. By chasing follower counts as a marker of status or clout, we’ve inadvertently hollowed out the original communal spirit. More than ever, we find ourselves craving an antidote to this superficial show of numbers with a return to quality over quantity in our interactions.

This shift has coincided with what many describe as a “loneliness epidemic”, a cultural moment where the technology that was designed to connect together has, in fact, deepened our sense of how “other” we really are. As Brian Chen writes in The New York Times, “Americans now spend more time alone, have fewer close friendships and feel more socially detached from their communities than they did 20 years ago.” The numbers may be higher than ever, but the substance of our connections has diminished, leaving us craving something more genuine.

The Hunger for Authentic Connection

It’s not just individuals feeling this void. Many brands, too, have recognized that while online attention might be abundant, genuine emotional resonance is scarce. We see endless campaigns boasting millions of “impressions,” yet sales or loyalty lag behind if customers never form a real bond with the brand. In response, companies in refined markets increasingly invest in intimate events, curated retreats, and personalized experiences that foster deep in-real-life connections among small groups. People are no longer satisfied with merely being seen, they want to be part of something that enriches their lives beyond the screen.

Real in-person experiences create circles of belonging and while we see luxury brands hopping on the hyper-curated, pop-up event trend, safari inherently has this quality by default . With in-person connections, relationships move from casual to profound, and for safari that means creating collective memories in ways digital metrics simply can’t replicate.

Why Safari Stands Out

This shift from follower-obsessed marketing to fostering deeper community is strikingly evident in the safari industry. On one hand, safari operators rely on social media to share sightings and wildlife that define an African wilderness adventure: a baby elephant teetering on new legs, a pride of lions lazily dozing in the midday heat, or the humbling enormity of a thousand-year-old baobab tree. These images spark initial fascination and help grow brand awareness among future guests.

Yet the real magic occurs once visitors arrive on safari, beginning with game drives at dawn and ending around a crackling fire in the African bush, sharing travel stories with strangers who quickly turn into friends. Guides recall each guest by name, pointing out the individual quirks of every lion or elephant they’ve tracked together. Instead of checking follower counts, travelers observe wildlife behaviors as a group. That sense of community is forged not by the number of likes on a post but by bonds formed in nature’s most elemental setting.

Moreover, social media becomes a tool to sustain and deepen these connections after the safari ends. Previous guests can follow updates about the animals they encountered, whether a new cub born to the lion pride or a lone elephant bull returning to the watering hole, and keep up with guides and staff. They can also reconnect online with fellow travelers they met along the way. This kind of digital community enhances the brand’s resonance far more than a high follower count ever could, especially if there’s no real engagement. Ultimately, it’s not about how many people see your post, but how many genuinely connect with it.

Stop creating content for the algorithm, tailor it to your community.

Cultivating Real Community in a Hyper-Connected World

It might sound ironic to say that one of today’s greatest indulgences is IRL human connection and yet here we are. Forward-thinking businesses and travelers alike acknowledge that a curated offline space, where people gather face to face, can resonate more deeply than a hundred thousand “follows.” In practical terms, this manifests as groups on safari activities together, communal dining or, conservation projects where guests can experience local communities.

At its core, community building requires a level of vulnerability and trust, elements that are difficult to capture in a flurry of digital interactions. On safari, nobody’s retouching the dust on their boots or the sweat on their brow. Instead, people surrender to the present moment and feel a connection to something bigger than themselves.

The Future of Refined Travel Is Human

For too long, follower counts have stood in as a symbol for our innate need to belong. But the emerging ethos of post-luxury favors community over mere visibility. We’re seeing global travelers, exhausted by countless digital illusions, gravitate toward environments that foster shared laughter, discovery, and introspection. High-end safari experiences demonstrate this new philosophy vividly: genuine bonds among fellow travelers, the land, and wildlife, enrich our lives far more than any passing moment of online attention.

In the end, the true currency of our era is not how many people click “follow,” but how many hearts and minds find enduring connection. The world of elevated travel, especially in safari destinations, proves this point unambiguously: you can chase metrics, or you can immerse yourself in an authentic community of explorers and conservationists, creating long-term relationships that outlast any short-lived newsfeed. And there, in the African wilderness, your follower count is little more than a footnote, eclipsed by the shared human story unfolding around the campfire.