HET DUO MAGAZINE UNIVERSITEIT ANTWERPEN 41.2021 21 FACE TO FACE “Fysieke ontmoeting is bij Hoplr altijd het doel”, zegt Joris Gallens (r.)). Can social media still connect us? Social media play a major role in the increasing polarisation of societies. But could it also bring us closer together? Can social media be used for community building in these busy times? Professor Karolien Poels, professor of Strategic Communication, and alumnus Joris Gallens, of the Flemish social network Hoplr, certainly think so. Hoplr is a social network where membership is limited to the neighbourhood you live in. So it cannot go viral and commercial messages are not allowed: the messages come from neighbours who are asking for help with a runaway cat or a difficult job, or who have something to give away. Governments and businesses become customers of Hoplr in order to communicate very locally. ‘We want to strengthen neighbourhoods, and that does not go against our business model’, says Gallens. ‘Social media are proving to be effective means for physically bringing digital users together’, Poels chimes in. ‘I think that’s where the most potential for innovation in networks lies, in bringing users together in real life.’ Both argue that networks are primarily a reflection of reality, including the polarising power of social media. Online trolls are given a platform on social media, but in real life they are, of course, just polarising figures. And a neighbourhood with many Hoplr members is often a close-knit one. The acceleration that social media offer to community building can bring people together as well as drive them apart. It is up to the principles of the social networks themselves, and in this case the ubiquity of Meta/Facebook is an obstacle. E
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