I few months ago I rejoined Discord. (I tested the platform years ago, but it didn’t resonate with me then.) Discord allows users with different interests to create communities on the platform. It offers a variety of features and ways for users to interact, but I mainly use the chatting. I was looking to get better at one of my hobbies by connecting with people I could learn from. I read about a private Discord server (i.e., community) and decided to check it out.

I got invited to the server and found what I was looking for and more. I was a novice among experts in this community. I was surprised by the amount of knowledge and information that was flowing freely. People were transparent and highly engaged in the conversations. Some even collaborated and pooled resources to solve really big problems, sharing their findings with the community. I now check it every day.

My experience got me wondering how many others were finding community through Discord. I dug a little and learned that Discord raised $100 million this summer at a $3.5 billion valuation. At the time, it was said to have 100 million active users (monthly, I’m assuming). The company was recently rumored to have 120 million monthly active users and to be finalizing another round of funding at a $7 billion valuation. I think it’s safe to assume that people are finding community there and investors are taking notice.

I shared my musings on rethinking and creating community the other day. I believe community is a big opportunity for 2021. Discord’s traction demonstrates that people are looking for community. The growth of this sector may change, but I think people will continue to seek new solutions to this problem.