We all crave connection. And when we want to bring people together, the easiest option is to spin up a group chat. It feels natural — everyone’s already on their phones, and the barrier to entry is basically zero. But if you’ve ever tried turning a Slack, Discord, or WhatsApp group into a real community, you’ve seen the trade-off — speed and convenience come at a cost.
This also kind of happened to TZM in general, maybe because of the use of in-the-moment tooling for collaboration?
Phase 1: Excitement - Every new group chat starts with an enthusiasm boost. Messages fly, intros are made, and it feels like the community is buzzing with possibility.
Phase 2: Chaos - Then, the floodgates open. Important updates get buried, conversations overlap, and the pace becomes impossible to follow.
Phase 3: Fragmentation - Side conversations break off into smaller groups. Some people stay active, others disengage, and the unified “everything” chat starts to splinter.
Phase 4: Decay - Participation drops. Either the group goes silent, or the noise becomes so overwhelming that most people mute notifications.
Phase 5: Abandonment - Eventually, the search for a “better” solution begins. The group chat is either left behind or left to stagnate.
