# How Meetup Groups Become Victims of Their Own Success: The Impact of Dunbar’s Number | Troov

- Canonical URL: https://wefunder.com/feed/175086
- Entity ID: wefunder:feed_item:175086
- Published at: 2024-09-05 18:22:18 UTC
- Updated at: 2025-07-09 03:25:12 UTC

## Author
Dustin Godevais

## Subject
Troov

## Content
Meetup groups are fantastic. Whether it’s a run club, a board game night, or a hiking group, these communities can be incredible for bringing people together.But here’s the thing: as someone who’s been working on launching Troov — a social app designed for one-on-one activity meetups — I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes social interactions work and what can cause them to break down. And one funny thing I’ve noticed is how Meetup groups can sometimes fall victim to their own success.The Problem: When Bigger Isn’t BetterWe’ve all seen it happen. A Meetup group starts small, with a handful of people who really connect over a shared passion. Then, as word spreads, more and more people join. At first, this seems like a great thing — more members mean more events, more networking, more opportunities, right?But somewhere along the line, something shifts. The group loses that special, close-knit feeling that made it so appealing in the first place.The Role of Dunbar’s Number And Knowing Everyone’s First NameYou may have heard of Dunbar’s number, a theory that suggests humans can only maintain meaningful relationships with about 150 people at a time. This concept, introduced by British anthropologist Robin Dunbar, is often used to explain the limits of our social networks. When a group’s size exceeds this number, the quality of connections tends to decline, and the sense of community can start to unravel.This idea ties directly into what happens with Meetup groups as they grow. When a group is small, members naturally know each other well, and there’s a strong sense of cohesion. In such a setting, when you see someone new, there’s an immediate impetus to introduce yourself, to make them feel welcome. The motivation is simple: in a group where everyone knows everyone’s name, a new face stands out, and integrating them feels natural and necessary.But as the group grows beyond that 150-person threshold, maintaining those meaningful connections becomes increasingly difficult. It becomes normal not to know everyone’s name. The once-automatic introduction no longer happens because the social expectation has shifted. When you don’t recognize someone, there’s no longer that same push to make an effort to connect. As a result, people start to stick to their own circles, and the overall sense of community begins to fade. Isolation creeps in, not because people are unfriendly, but because the social dynamics have changed.How Troov Avoids This PitfallOne of the things I’m most excited about with Troov is that it doesn’t suffer from this problem. Because Troov is all about one-on-one meetups, it completely bypasses the issues that come with large groups. Instead of walking into a Meetup with 200 strangers, Troov lets you connect with one person over a shared interest. It’s a much more personalized experience, and for people who might feel intimidated by large groups, it’s a great way to ease into social interactions.Some people find it nerve-wracking to attend a Meetup alone, especially if they don’t know anyone there and can’t convince a friend to join them. Troov helps bridge that gap by creating a one-on-one connection first, making it easier to step into a larger group setting later on.Sometimes, the key to a successful community is knowing when to grow and when to keep things small and intentional. And if you’re looking for a more personalized way to connect, Troov might just be the solution you’ve been waiting for.