Why Give The Gift of Bright

It’s now December, which means we’re in the absolute manic sprint to the end of the year that is the official holiday season. I think that, when we’re kids, December always seemed to go by at a snail’s pace, maybe because we were in school and agonising over the wait until we had time off, but now it seems a jingle bell blur. As much as it would be great to slow down and enjoy the year’s end, it never quite seems to go that way.

Of course, part of this comes back to the things we spend our time on and how we experience them. Working frantically or scrambling to get presents and parties organised, it feels like we’re constantly behind. Then, to unwind, we hop on social media to complain about the traffic or immerse ourselves in mindless entertainment. The problem with this strategy is simple: it doesn’t work. How many times have we found ourselves doomscrolling as a distraction from the stress of the season only to realise that we’re stressing ourselves out even more?

We need a reset. We need it online and in our personal lives, and we need it to be able to function in extremely challenging times.

We need a reset. We need it online and in our personal lives, and we need it to be able to function in extremely challenging times.

I want to make an important point: Bright, on its own, isn’t going to fix us feeling harried in December traffic or stressed out at dinner when Aunt Gertrude asks who “Alan Musk” is and why he wants to go to Mars. There’s no single answer to making things better -- and that’s a key reason why Bright is different. We don’t think there’s a single correct answer, a single approach that will always work. So it’s about giving people the space to create a variety of solutions that suit them best.

That’s an important point. We need more than just a place to chat online. We need space to build community, connect with one another, and be given some room to be ourselves. Fundamentally, that’s what I think Bright offers that makes it so valuable and important: a social network where real people can interact and, crucially, give one another the benefit of the doubt when we talk about anything from politics to whether pineapple on pizza is acceptable. 

We need more than just a place to chat online, we need space to build community, connect with one another, and be given some room to be ourselves.

That’s why I want to share Bright with people I care about and invite them to join. We all deserve a space online that isn’t filled with bots or trolls and where we can talk about what we want without being fodder for ads we don’t. A place that makes belonging its core value and accountability its central measuring stick. A company that commits to being sustainable, environmentally and for its Members, and where the best of the internet has a chance to flourish. And most of all, a safe space to be ourselves -- even when we’re stressed, even when we’re seated next to Aunt Gertrude later at dinner.