In the past decade, Facebook groups have become a popular online gathering place for people to connect over shared interests. With over 1.8 billion monthly active users, Facebook remains the largest social media platform worldwide. However, recent data suggests that engagement on Facebook groups is declining, especially among younger users.
This begs the question – what platforms and communities are replacing Facebook groups in 2023? There are several emerging social media platforms and apps that provide a similar sense of community and belonging that Facebook groups previously offered.
Reddit is a social news aggregation and discussion website that has seen tremendous growth in recent years. As of 2022, Reddit had over 430 million monthly active users and over 100,000 active communities called “subreddits” covering every topic imaginable.
While Reddit has been around since 2005, the platform has become increasingly mainstream in the past 5 years. The site allows users to submit content in the form of text posts, links, and images which other users can then upvote or downvote. This creates a highly engaged community experience.
Many former Facebook group users have migrated to relevant subreddits which function similarly to forums. Reddit is especially popular among younger demographics like Millennials and Gen Z.
Pros of Reddit:
- Highly engaged niche communities
- Democratic voting system allows quality content to rise to the top
- Relative anonymity compared to Facebook
- Younger user base
Cons of Reddit:
- Less personal than Facebook groups
- Can be difficult for new users to navigate
- Some subreddits harbor fringe or toxic communities
Discord
Discord is a messaging platform that was originally built for gamers but has expanded into many other communities. Users can create or join Discord “servers” focused on specific topics and interact via text, audio, and video chat. As of 2022, Discord had over 150 million monthly active users.
The platform initially gained traction with gamers but now includes servers for topics like sports, music, arts, cryptocurrency, and more. Discord provides a tight-knit sense of community through the ability to chat in real-time. The service is free, though a premium subscription is available.
Pros of Discord:
- Real-time communication creates a personal connection
- feature-rich servers with customized roles, channels, and bots
- Great for gaming, events, niche interests
- Free to use
Cons of Discord:
- Real names and identities often hidden
- Potential for abuse or harmful content
- Steeper learning curve than Facebook
- Not ideal for larger public discussions
Nextdoor
Nextdoor is a hyperlocal social networking app designed to connect neighbors living in the same residential area. Users must verify their address to join Nextdoor in their specific neighborhood. As of 2022, Nextdoor had over 61 million monthly active users worldwide.
While not an exact replacement for Facebook groups, Nextdoor provides localized community discussion boards and events. Users can post items for sale, ask for local recommendations, share community alerts, and more. Nextdoor is popular among older demographics.
Pros of Nextdoor:
- Hyperlocal network of real neighbors
- Relevant discussions for your neighborhood
- Trusted platform with address verification
- Helpful for finding local services or items for sale
Cons of Nextdoor:
- Limited to discussions within your neighborhood
- Seen as more of a neighborhood watch than global community
- Discussion quality varies dramatically by neighborhood
- Mostly used by older demographics
Slack
Slack is a business communication platform built around chat rooms organized into “workspaces”. Public and private channels within each workspace allow for specialized team discussions. Users can also direct message each other.
While designed for internal business team collaboration, Slack has also emerged as an alternative for certain kinds of communities. Slack workspaces can be created around common interests, hobbies, social causes, and more. As of 2022, Slack had over 30 million daily active users.
Pros of Slack:
- Robust functionality for specialized team collaboration
- Customizable channels keep discussions organized
- Great search makes it easy to find past information
- Can support large communities
Cons of Slack:
- Not designed specifically for general social communities
- No content tagging or algorithms like Facebook
- Steeper learning curve than Facebook
- Free plan has limited features and search history
Specialized Online Forums
Beyond the major social platforms above, specialized online forums also provide community interaction around niche topics. These are focused web-based discussion sites for subjects like:
- Parenting
- Health & wellness
- Pets
- Sports
- Hobbies & DIY
- Automotive
- Fashion
- And many more…
While often smaller in scale than Facebook groups, specialized forums create a targeted sense of community. Users can develop credibility through long-term participation and valuable contributions to the subject matter.
Pros of Specialized Forums:
- Laser focused on specific interests or needs
- Often have expert participation
- Allow development of online authority and personal relationships
- Cover an endless range of niche topics
Cons of Specialized Forums:
- Smaller user bases than big social networks
- Discussion quality varies across forums
- Registration often required to participate
- Older technology and user interfaces
Messaging Apps
Private and group messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal and GroupMe have also partially replaced the community aspects of Facebook groups. These allow users to have encrypted chats in small groups organized around specific interests or networks.
Messaging app groups tend to be smaller and closer knit than public Facebook groups. They offer features like disappearing messages, admin controls, chat bots, profiles, and document sharing. Users often gravitate to messaging apps for more private community discussions.
Pros of Messaging Apps:
- More private and secure
- Real-time communication
- Easy to control group membership
- Fun features like stickers, bots, profiles, etc
Cons of Messaging Apps:
- Group sizes smaller than Facebook’s
- Not suitable for large public discussions
- Do not offer content tagging or feeds
- Less organized and searchable than Facebook
Social Media Platform Comparison
Here is a comparison of some of the key platforms that have replaced aspects of Facebook group functionality:
| Platform | Monthly Active Users | Type of Community Experience |
|---|---|---|
| 430 million | Topic-based, highly engaged, democratically ranked | |
| Discord | 150 million | Real-time chat servers, strong personal connections |
| Nextdoor | 61 million | Hyperlocal neighborhood-based |
| Slack | 30 million | Specialized professional team collaboration |
| 2 billion | Private and group messaging |
This table illustrates the range of monthly active users across platforms as well as the differing types of community experiences offered.
Factors Driving Migration from Facebook Groups
There are several key factors that have driven migration away from Facebook group engagement in recent years:
- Declining organic reach – Facebook has reduced visibility of group content in the news feed algorithm over time. Posts now rarely reach more than a fraction of the group without paid promotion.
- Information overload – The endless scroll of the news feed and overwhelming amount of groups makes Facebook exhausting for many users.
- Privacy concerns – Facebook has faced backlash over repeated privacy issues and lack of data protections.
- Toxicity problems – Despite moderation efforts, misinformation, harassment and hate speech have soured the group experience for some.
- Political polarization – Highly polarized political discussions have made Facebook groups draining for those seeking more positive communities.
- Demographic shift – Younger users are moving to more modern, visual platforms like TikTok over Facebook.
These factors and others have accelerated the shift to alternative community platforms that address these concerns through differentiated models.
The Quest for Community Continues
Despite changes in platform popularity, the underlying human need for community remains stronger than ever. New platforms arise to meet shifting technological and social needs for connection. But the importance of building meaningful communities, relationships, and shared experiences persists over time.
Looking forward, the landscape of online community will likely continue evolving in ways we cannot foresee today. But the fundamental desire to come together around common interests and support one another will not disappear even as new technologies emerge.
While Facebook paved the way for mainstream digital community engagement, the need for community extends far beyond any single platform. As long as technology provides value in connecting people and enriching lives, online communities will continue thriving in new forms that make the most sense for current and future generations.