Paradise lost: The rise and ruin of Couchsurfing.com
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Re: Paradise lost: The rise and ruin of Couchsurfing.com
#2Couchsurfing.com used to be a gem, I hosted a number of people so far removed from my bubble and had a great time with them. I hope a viable successor appears.
Re: Paradise lost: The rise and ruin of Couchsurfing.com
#3Couchsurfing.com used to be a gem, I hosted a number of people so far removed from my bubble and had a great time with them. I hope a viable successor appears.
Open Hospitality Network just started.
Re: Paradise lost: The rise and ruin of Couchsurfing.com
#4Is there a good alternative?
Does couchsurfing still work WELL if you’re willing to pay membership fees?
Re: Paradise lost: The rise and ruin of Couchsurfing.com
#5A friend of mine, she used to travel a lot, used it as a dating app.
She said better as Tinder, more transparency and in the worst case still a comfy couch. She met her husband via it.
Re: Paradise lost: The rise and ruin of Couchsurfing.com
#6The social proof that a couch surfing reference brought was second to none. Each one boils down to this "I, a stranger, stayed for a few nights in this other strangers home for free, and they were good human beings". That social proof carried to any part of the globe you visited.
I cannot think of an internet app that brought people together in a more meaningful and wholesome way at scale.
It was great while it lasted.
Re: Paradise lost: The rise and ruin of Couchsurfing.com
#7A friend of mine, she used to travel a lot, used it as a dating app. She said better as Tinder, more transparency and in the worst case still a comfy couch. She met her husband via it.
I can definitely see the mechanism. On Tinder, people lie about themselves to make themselves more attractive. Couchsurfing info will likely be more honest.
Re: Paradise lost: The rise and ruin of Couchsurfing.com
#8Very well written and researched article. What an interesting deep dive into a fascinating corner of internet culture!
Re: Paradise lost: The rise and ruin of Couchsurfing.com
#9Is there a good alternative? Does couchsurfing still work WELL if you’re willing to pay membership fees?
I think the community is kinda broken.
Re: Paradise lost: The rise and ruin of Couchsurfing.com
#10There's Pasporta Servo, still going strong since way before couchsurfing was a thing. You need a moderate amount of implication, which acts as a sort of filter for people who only want to goof around. This can be either a good or a bad thing.