Why I deleted my CS account

When I first started my travels, CouchSurfing was an incredible resource.  I met awesome people, stayed in private homes and accommodations, and generally was well taken care of.  I've made friends through the couchsurfing community whom I am still in contact with today, and been exposed to places and people I could have never imagined.





With all of that in mind, I have noticed a shift over the past year or so.  I have been using Couchsurfing much less, and with significantly less success on the occasions I do attempt to use it.  With a few notable exceptions, the quality of the users I have interacted with has been, frankly, disappointing.  The hardcore travelers, activists, those willing to travel against all odds and costs, MY people, have been swallowed up by the masses.  The last few couchsurfing gatherings I have attended have all involved alcohol and consumption, occasional recreational drug use, but seem to be wholly lacking in the things I truly enjoy: intelligent discussion, travel experiences and stories, unique ideas and any semblance of truly independent or free-spirited lifestyles.  I began to notice this first with a couchsurfing meetup in New York City, and later in Montana, Oregon, and Utah.  I seem unable to elicit responses from potential hosts, and even my simple messages with questions about a local area go unanswered.  Those whom I have come into contact with seem more interested in using Couchsurfing as a social network to connect with other locals, and not so much with travelers.

The recent shift from Couchsurfing away from their attempt to obtain 501c.3 non-profit status. in favor of B-corp status, marks a shift away from the community-based approach toa typical corporate system.  While I recognize the difficulties that they may have faced in the attempt to obtain non-profit status, I do not believe that they did everything possible.  This comes from my own experience with non-profits back in highschool, where all we really had to do was prove that the money stayed in the organization, and was not kept by any individuals.  Essentially, I feel that they failed because of their usage of funding.  This was the straw which broke the camel's back, and the trigger against which my building resentment towards the Couchsurfing system and administrators.

As I feel very strongly that complaining is never a solution, I took it upon myself to delete my account.  I do not wish to associate myself with an organization, nor a community, which I see in the ways I do.  I sincerely hope that they are able to focus back on their community-based roots, but I do not see that as likely.

Additionally, according to the couchsurfing terms-of-service, once an account is deleted, the enduser (me) is not allowed to ever create another account.


Well, we all know how well I follow the rules.