turns out, the most disruptive tech in 2025 is… showing up

for years, the internet has been the place where community “lives.” connecting through comments, likes, Slack messages, and parasocial relationships in the DMs. 

the online era we’ve existed in for the last decade is finally shifting away from screens, and I’m into it.

I've been saying this forever, but it feels like the internet is finally catching up: the next big thing in the creator economy isn’t a new platform or an AI tool. turns out, the most disruptive tech in 2025 is… showing up.

the truth is, audiences are tired. tired of feed-fatigue. tired of being sold to at every turn. tired of brands who post like corporate robots. tired of living through a screen.

what audiences do want? to support creators + brands that feel like someone they’d actually grab a drink with. 

and the best executions of that I’ve seen lately are the brands + creators gathering people to literally show up together… offline.

last week, Gunna ran a 5k in Brooklyn with Strava + Under Armour and more than 1,000 people showed up. it wasn’t polished. it wasn’t advertise-y. it was community-first, and it worked because it felt authentic.

same thing with Rothy’s. instead of forcing a brand dinner, they’re following their audience’s lead, trending towards granny-core and craving in-person community by letting Substack writers throw vintage sales + pizza parties in their stores.

(my dream date. cute.) 

and get this: when Erika Veurink hosted her thrift event at Rothy’s Nolita shop, foot traffic jumped 75%- their busiest Sunday of the year. 

why? because the events didn’t feel like ads- they felt like hangouts.

people weren’t sold to, they were invited in.

(shameless plug- Rothy’s is a keynote speaker at the platform conference this year and will be talking alllll about their IRL strategy. might not want to miss that one.)

if you are a chronic, chronically online reader, you already know my affinity for offline hangouts and granny core, so my hot take probably won’t seem so hot

…but here is anyways.

IRL isn’t a “trend” to hop on. this is the future of how brands + creators will connect and survive. 

impressions are cheap. experiences are sticky.

once someone shows up for you IRL, they’re not just a follower anymore- they’re part of your community.

the smartest brands right now aren’t overthinking it. they’re finding the people who already have a community they have trust built in, and they are co-creating moments worth showing up for.

and honestly? those are the ones who’ll still matter after the next algorithm shift.

xx

 mackenzie @ the cohort