At the core of Hyperlocalism is the concept of Resource Dilution, an idea that we all understand, even if we don't know the phrase.
Imagine you have a cup of water that you want to use to water a plant. But in order to do that, you have 10 people lined up, each with their own cup, and you have to transfer the water between cups in order to get it to the plant.
In a perfect world, you would do this carefully, so nearly all of the water made it to the plant. But in the real world, that's not what happens. There could be problems with the cups - some of the them might have holes, be too small to hold all the water, or be lined with a material that absorbs it. Or, the problem could be with the people: maybe they are not paying attention and they spill the water, or they steal a sip of the water along the way, or they leave the line entirely, Finally, the problem could be with the line itself: there are not enough people to reach the whole way, the people don't trust eachother enough to pour the water, or the terrain is so hot that the water evaporates. Regardless, at the end of this line, you have very little water remaining for the plant.
This is how resources are currently distributed in a global world: there are complex layers of people, organizations, and systems between an input (such as capital) and the desired output (such as creating jobs). The more distance there is between the input and the output, the more layers there are, and the greater the chance that the resource is diluted.
By contrast, Hyperlocalism states that if you reduce the number of layers, you reduce the chances for the resource to be diluted. This is obvious when you think about it: When you spend money at a local store, it goes into the pocket of a local owner, who pays it to their local employees. When you spend money at an online retailer, little to none of that money ends up back in your community - the impact of that money is fully diluted.
This dilution does not just happen with money - it occurs with all resources, including our time and attention, both of which are limited. By focusing these resources locally, we increase their concentration - so not only do we see the impact of them more immediately, but that impact is greater. That's Hyperlocalism.
Hyperlocalism is a model for how individuals and organizations think about spending their valuable resources, specifically, their:
Capital. Refers to how we spend our money, whether we are buying things or donating it
Attention. Refers to how we focus our attention and what we let anger/motivate/inspire us
Time. Refers to how we spend our time, both inside and outside of work.
Hyperlocalism does not say you have to spend all resources locally - it just encourages you to choose the local choice when possible, because the impact of your resources will be much greater.
The term Hyperlocalism originated in journalism, and was used to describe news coverage that focused very locally, such as the town or even neighborhood level. But the term has been largely unused until now, when a Hyperlocalist way of thinking is needed more than ever. The theory of Hyperlocalism is based on nearly a decade of research and observation into current economic and social systems, when they work, why they fall apart, and how we can improve them.
Hyperlocalism is a model for how both individuals and organizations think about spending their resources. In some ways it is a nuanced theory of economic and community development, but largely it is a simple concept: when possible, spend resources locally, because they will have a greater impact this way.
In general, the economies of most local communities have suffered over the past 2-3 decades of rampant globalization. Not only did offshoring remove local jobs, but corporate consolidation & online shopping started removing capital that used to circulate locally. The collective effect is that communities have less money, and more of that money leaves the community than comes into it. Because of this, local economies have declined, and so has our standard of living: main streets are empty, small business owners are shutting down, and people are forced to leave to find work. All of these trends can be reversed if we increase the amount of capital retained in our local communities.
Studies have shown that a large factor in the happiness of most people is the degree to which they feel they have autonomy and impact - when I put time towards something, am I able to see the outcomes that I want?
Unfortunately, our front-row seat to global problems - from wars to pandemics and beyond - has caused a mass demoralization - many people feel as if there is nothing they can do to make a dent in the problems of the world. In some ways, this is true. But while many of us can't change the world, all of us can change our local communities. Hyperlocalism is a small way to take back some of the autonomy of our actions and impact.
The definition of local is fluid, not just with each individual, but also in different circumstances. Local can mean your immediate neighborhood, your city, your state, or even your region. The idea behind hyperlocalism is that you spend your resources as locally as possible in any given situation, and then you expand your focus concentrically out from there. For example, if you need a specific product and can't find it in your neighborhood, you look elsewhere in your city, and then your state, and then regionally until you find it.
The Hyperlocalist is meant to educate people on the concept of hyperlocalism. There is so much evidence that that hyperlocal actions - whether that's spending money at local businesses, volunteering at a local nonprofit, or reading the local newspaper - have massive impacts on our local communities.
But not enough people realize how much impact they can have if they just made small tweaks to how they spend their money, time, and attention. The goal of this site is to share more information about hyperlocalism in an effort to reach more people who may feel unable to make a dent in the global systems.
The Hyperlocalist movement is just starting out, so the best way to support is to spread the word to other people who you think could benefit from a hyperlocal way of thinking. You can sign up for The Hyperlocalist newsletter here, or engage on social media on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. The more awareness there is of this work, the more impact we will see in our local communities!