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.I cannot think of an internet app that brought people together in a more meaningful and wholesome way at scale.It was great while it lasted.