The Rona Pandemic of 2020 has taken a toll on the human social life. In addition to the limitations and drama surrounding the pandemic, it doesn’t help that America is also in a high tension race war. So not only are we forced to mask up and cut down on social gatherings with loved ones, but we also have to be alert and prepared for the worst in interactions with strangers of different skin colors. Right now, it’s real stressful to be an American.
With all that being said, we as people still crave a healthy social life. We crave a social life full of excitement like a soap opera or reality tv show. Now more than ever, I think people love the idea of getting to know a stranger. Especially if you get to encounter a person in their unapologetic and true form. Why do you think Tik Tok’s concept of showing videos at random to their audience works so well? So well in fact, Instagram decided to implement a similar concept with Reels.
Where can you meet new people in 2021? In Phoenix, AZ?
To best answer where you can find new people to meet, we need to consider what people are doing the most …and the least in Phoenix, right now. It might also be wise to know what kind of people you are interested in finding and what for. But… hear me out, it could be fun to kind of Russian Roulette it.
Some of the most common reasons of wanting to meet a new person are to date, to conduct business, to fulfill a need, or to be of service. Pick your poison! Be aware of your intentions when going on the hunt or be discouraged when you come up dry and you don’t know why. As kids with little responsibility, we could once go into new experiences blindly. Entering them with no expectations and just let things happen as they come. However, as an adult, there are risks to consider in decision making as a result of having responsibilities. You should probably have an idea of the possible outcomes and more importantly the effect(s) they can have on you.
When you pre-plan an encounter with a new person and you know the reason why you are seeking said encounter or you have an ideal outcome that you are expecting, it helps with the overall mission. I highly recommend not skipping this step, it’s a huge time saver. If you know what your desired outcome is for a premeditated, but chance encounter, you can narrow down the information needed to make it happen.
Once you know what need you are attempting to satisfy, you also need to know what people may be able to help you with this particular need to better your chances of actually satisfying it. This does not have to be too specific to be helpful. You just need to know what type of people would fit the profile. If you are looking for a friend for example, you might be looking for people with similar personality traits to those of your current and past friends depending on what you may need in a friend.
In 2021, the most common ways to meet new people in Phoenix, Arizona are online, through mutual friends, and in person at social events.
Meeting New People Online
At the height of quarantine restrictions practically everyone turned to social media as a form of stress relief. Even now, with less limitations on socializing and recreational activities people are still heavily using social media for entertainment and enjoyment. This is a great time to make connections virtually.
It’s has never been so easy to access new people in so little time, but when scouting online you should tread lightly. Keep in mind the stranger on the other side of the web could be a Catfish in someway or another. Prior to actually seeing or meeting a person from online in person, I would not recommend making any sudden or risky decisions. Give yourself the ability to leave a situation with no negative consequence aside from an unsuccessful pairing of people. Also be understanding that in addition to you wanting to avoid a catfish situation, the person on the other end of the web usually is hoping to avoid the same scenario.
The are so many social media platforms to discover new people on; there’s Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and so much more. A good strategy to meet new people via social is to find page(s) or groups that interest you and engage with people, who engage with those accounts. You could even take it a step further and do a little comment creeping. They always say, “you never know who’s watching you”. It’s true, think about the countless people you watch and leave no evidence of. Allow the comment creeping to lead you to the page of a stranger and see if you have more in common.
You could always go direct. If you get good vibes off the content from a strangers account, let them know. Tell them about yourself in a way that could add value to their life and ask them if they would be interested in XYZ. The worst that could happen is rejection. Unfortunately, being direct could intimidate or come off as weird to some people. Place the odds in your favor, make it a numbers game. The more people you reach out to the more likely you are to get the desired outcome.
Meeting New People Through Mutual Friends
It is common to find new people using the already established connections around you. Let’s take a moment to think about all the people you know or know of that are complete strangers to the other people in your life. I bet you could probably think of two people, who would probably hit it off if they were to meet one another. Or they could already know each other and you just so happen to have no idea about it. The same can be said for you with a friend of one of your friends. This world may seem huge, but it can get smaller fairly quick.
So, how do you initiate contact with a friend of a friend that you don’t even know you want to know yet?
Well… I mean, how well do you know your friends? You can take an indirect or direct approach depending on you level of comfort. A direct approach with your friend would probably be the best idea, this way your friend can also help you with making sure your new encounter goes as smoothly as possible. They can act as a mediator almost. Just tell them what you are looking for, what you are trying to do, and go from there. Be clear! If you sugar coat information you provide to your friend, this could ruin the experience.
If my friend came to me wanting to meet new people through me, I’d want to know what they are looking for so I can best scan through my mental address book of people I have access to. A heads up, would give me the opportunity to grill a few candidates in mind and semi-prep them for the meet up. I, generally, can read my friends and loved ones quite well. Well enough to have a pretty good idea of who they are, their likes and dislikes, and I can read between the words they say for what they really mean. But that’s just me though, I like to put some legwork in every mission I’m a part of. Especially, the opportunity to play match maker lol.
Meeting new people through friends could increase the chances of reaching your desired outcome. This option comes with it’s own risks; now you may have a extra nosy friend, who needs all the tea all the time or a friend that get you into some crazy situations as a prank because they play too much. Proceed with caution.
Meeting New People In Person
Meeting people in person has got to be my favorite route to meet new people. Skip the third party friends or online catfishes and just get right into the talking with strangers. It’s a little harder with most people self quarantined or hiding under masks. When people walk by now, it’s hard to tell if they are giving you that little chihuahua smile as a awkward way of acknowledging your presence. I was starting to look forward to those everyday.
If you are looking to meet new people with common interests, the chances of finding them are greater in places you frequent. If you are looking to meet new people with different interests, the chances will be greater in the places the support the interest in question. Simple right?
Let’s say you are sporty and you want to meet other sporty people, you might find these people at the gym, at some type of sporting event, or even in the produce aisle of the grocery store. In the last scenario, you might also have to look for other physical clues to confirm like maybe an athletic build or basic sports attire.
You could also just take all the research out of the equation and live your life regularly, but with one change. Put more of an effort into socializing whenever the opportunity presents it self. We as humans have a habit of going into autopilot for typical day to day tasks. Missing tons of opportunities to meet new people just for the fun of it. You would have to make it your responsibility to break that habit and live more in the moment. You can meet new people at work, in the places you frequent for errands, at the gatherings planned by friends and loved ones, and in traffic during your commute.
Conclusion
It can still be simple to meet new people and have a healthy social life in 2021. You can meet new people online, through mutual friends, and in person. The success of reaching your desired outcome can be predetermined by the planning you put into a chance encounter. Figure out why you want to meet new people, is there a motive or do you just like talking to new people? Is there a certain type of person you want to meet? Then act on it, plan what you can and wing what you cannot. Live a little, we deserve it.
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