Vox Members got to read this story first. Support independent journalism and get exclusive access to stories like this by becoming a Vox Member today. For years, the internet sold us the idea that connection doesn’t have to be local to be meaningful. Your people could live anywhere: in a Discord server, a group chat of far-flung friends, or a TikTok comment section. Geography was optional. Now, more people are turning toward the ones physically closest to them: the neighbor down the block, the p