Paradise lost: The rise and ruin of Couchsurfing.com
The social proof that a couch surfing reference brought was second to none. Each one boils down to this "I, a stranger, stayed for a few nights in this other strangers home for free, and they were good human beings". That social proof carried to any part of the globe you visited.<p>I cannot think of an internet app that brought people together in a more meaningful and wholesome way at scale.<p>It was great while it lasted.