The Guardian article, specifically mentions Postcrossing and the member they interviewed, and includes a live, functional link to the Postcrossing website:
‘We need to go places and touch things’: the people turning away from smartphones
Disquiet over social media addiction is leading to a growing enthusiasm for Polaroids, postcards and the physical and analogue world”
……” While Jess…, 39, had become exhausted by her Instagram feed, she knew she wanted to keep a window into the lives of others. So she turned to Postcrossing, a site that connects people who want to send and receive postcards from strangers around the world. “I still wanted to have that connection with people and learn more about different cultures, but not necessarily while being aggressively marketed at,” she said, adding that she receives “stacks of reading recommendations” through the post.
The community has more than 800,000 members across 207 countries, with 77 million postcards received since it launched in 2005. While its most rapid growth happened in the early 2010s, it lasted through the pandemic and 400,000 cards are posted each month.
While the hobby is reasonably affordable in Australia, where Perriam lives, she notes that the cost of stamps has become prohibitively expensive in other countries she has visited. As well as writing to people she has never met, she also corresponds with an old friend in the US. …….”
Postcards received by Jess Perriam, who corresponds with people around the world via the Postcrossing site. Photograph: Guardian Community
