The Rise of the Confluencer
Humans are inherently social. We evolved to connect deeply and to build communities through shared, real-time experiences.
What is a Confluencer?
Mirriam-Webster defines confluence as "a coming or flowing together, meeting, or gathering at one point." The word is often used to describe where rivers meet. In a social context, we believe a confluencer is a person or entity that creates space to bring people together in real-time for shared experiences and conversations. While influencers earn money by endorsing brands, broadcasting content, and getting views, confluencers earn (financial and social capital) by building community.
How Confluencers will change the way we socialize
Humans are inherently social. We evolved to connect deeply and to build communities through shared, real-time experiences. While we’ve experienced significant technological advancements over the past few decades, it has come at a cost.. Today, we have higher rates of loneliness and polarization than ever. It turns out, a chronological stream of selfies, 280 character thoughts, and broadcasted content does not lead to the formation of the collective memories that are required to create human connection and community. And, the risk only grows greater as technology progresses toward even more immersive mediums.
We have an opportunity now to pivot from social platforms that are heading toward increasingly toxic destinations toward social experiences (on and offline) that inspire more authentic connection with others.
This idea of confluence came up many times in the past year as we were figuring out who we were and what type of company we were building.
To us, a confluencer meets the following key criteria:
- Confluencers create space to bring people together for shared experiences and conversations
- Confluencers have the ability to earn money for bringing people together.
Confluencers require a particular type of network to thrive, one that is accessible, customizable, and optimized to strengthen connections between individuals within a community. We have built these key features into Topia from the beginning. Our recent launch of the creator ecosystem, which pays 30% of our revenue to our community of creators and confluencers, demonstrates our commitment to supporting creators and incentivizing confluencers on the platform. We have hundreds of members of our community who are already making money designing world assets and earning commissions by hosting events and growing their communities on Topia.
Why we must optimize for Confluencers
As technologists, we are designing the next generation of online platforms and have a responsibility to be conscious of and intentional in the impact of each feature we launch. As we look towards a future where Artificial Intelligence is increasingly utilized to solve pattern-based problems, creativity becomes the human quality we need to foster most. Creators are confluencers and they wield their influence through the creative experiences and spaces they craft.
Topia is spearheading the shift from “me” to “we.” And those that learn to master the art of bringing other people together for shared experiences and human connection stand to be compensated for their effort. The confluencer economy is coming. Actual progress demands it.
To learn more about earning on Topia, go here and sign up for our Confluencer Program, where we pay 30% of our revenue out to our community.
