Strava Goes Public: Social Media or an Expensive Illusion?

It’s Loneliness Awareness Week. And just this week, we’re reading that Strava, the fitness app that lets you share your runs and bike rides, is planning to go public. Valuation: 1.9 billion euros. An impressive sum for a platform that mainly shows us who can bike up a mountain the fastest and how many “likes” you get for your Sunday run.

In the FD (article by @Lennart Zandbergen – September 25)* Strava is described as a fast-growing social network. But wait a minute: is this still about social networks, or is it mainly about screen time and data?

* The fitness app Strava, a rapidly growing social network, is going public

Not an anti-tech story

Don't get me wrong: I'm not against social media or Strava. It can be inspiring and motivating. I also enjoy seeing great posts from people I know. But let's be honest: that's just a side issue. It's a fun topic of conversation, not the core of a social network.

The sliding frame

Words matter. By calling Strava a social network, we get the impression that following, liking, and comparing are at the heart of our social lives. But a social network is not an app, not a timeline, and not a leaderboard.

A social network is the web of people who support you—family, neighbors, friends, coworkers. People who are truly there for you when things get tough. By framing Strava and similar platforms as *the* social networks, we are slowly but surely shifting our focus: from building relationships to chasing achievements and applause. That may seem social, but it’s often an illusion.

Back to Basics

So let's be careful with our words. Strava is a fitness app, not a social network. And if we keep acting as if following and liking are the same as building and supporting, we're missing the point.

A social network is built by people. It’s about human connection—in real life. That’s where our resilience lies—and no IPO in the world can replace that.

The True Cost of “Connecting”

Strava raises nearly 2 billion euros. Just imagine if we invested that amount not in “likes” but in strengthening real social networks—projects that help people reconnect with one another, communities that support each other, and initiatives that provide insight into who’s around you.

Especially now, during Loneliness Awareness Week, this is more relevant than ever. You don’t combat loneliness with yet another app or even more statistics. You do it by investing in people, in connections, and in rediscovering the network that’s already there: on your street, within your family, at your sports club.

“So my question for you, during this Week Against Loneliness: Who in your immediate circle can you give a little extra attention to today?”

#WeekAgainstLoneliness #SocialNetwork #MLMtool