Vaping is often thought of as just a smoking alternative, but it also offers an amazing space for vape users to connect and build community. Let’s find out how!
Vape Users Find Community and Connection Through Vaping
It’s human nature to want to build connections with like-minded individuals, no matter what hobby or passion a person has. We strive to find connection through similarities, and the world of vaping is no different. From being able to talk online to meeting in person, vaping has grown into so much more than just an alternative to smoking.
Vaping was originally created to help smokers find a healthier way to get their nicotine fix that didn’t include all of the harmful, toxic chemicals. It wasn’t long before vaping began to grow in popularity, and in 2021, the amount of vapers in the UK was estimated to be between 5.6 and 6.6 million adults. With each year, this number will continue to grow, helping vaping to flourish into a deeply connected community that provides a platform for people to meet, talk and share information.
Now, vape users are able to connect with others at the click of a button. Whether you’re all about cloud-chasing and chunky sub-ohm devices or prefer more discreet, silky smooth mouth-to-lung vaping there’s sure to be a community for it. But it can be difficult to know where to start and how to find a vaping community. Here are some of the ways vape users can find connection through vaping.
Vape Shops
Where better to find fellow vapers than a vape shop itself? These four walls and a roof are so much more than a simple shop, offering vapers a space to meet and connect with others. These are a lively hub for the vaping community, and many vape shops even cater to this with lounge spaces and smaller-scale events that provide an excellent place for friendships to be made. An excellent example of this is Vaping 101’s shop based in Aberdeen, which is the communal hub for vapers all across the city to gather and share their vaping knowledge. Nothing is better than being able to have conversations with those who share your excitement about your new device or share your favourite e-liquid with.
Vaping Conventions
For those who are looking to meet vapers in person and make new connections, vaping conventions are the best way to do this. You can be guaranteed to find hundreds of people there who are all interested in the same thing as you and looking to meet people too. The difference between meeting people in shops compared to at conventions is that you’re more likely to encounter casual vapers in shops. However, those who seek out conventions are almost guaranteed to have the same level of interest as you and are excited to create new connections.
With conventions such as the Vaper Expo amassing over 20,000 visitors and 500 different brands, it offers the perfect place for vapers to unite and interact with each other and some of the biggest names in the vaping industry. These conventions are fun, lively and extremely friendly.
Reddit has emerged as a thriving hub for vapers looking to connect and form relationships with like-minded individuals. The platform boasts a plethora of subreddits dedicated to vaping including ‘r/Vaping’ which has amassed over 170,000 members and r/electronic_cigarette which has an even more impressive 220,000 members.
These subreddits provide a virtual space for vapers to share their experiences, share stories, and seek advice about vape kits from others. The upvoting system on Reddit further adds to its appeal, ensuring that the most helpful and informative posts rise to the top of the feed. In this way, vapers are able to easily find the information they need, regardless of their level of experience. With a welcoming community and a wealth of knowledge at their fingertips, Reddit has become the go-to platform for vapers looking to meet, share knowledge, and build connections.
Facebook is known for its wide array of different ways to help people from all over the world connect. There are lots of different vaping groups that are as easy as clicking a button to join. You instantly have access to hundreds, if not thousands of vapers you can connect with to share stories, ask for advice, meetups and more. Facebook groups are particularly good as you can upload pictures and videos if you want to show off some awesome tricks or need advice with a device.
Online Forums
The E-cigarette Forum was one of the very first ways that vapers could connect online. It was founded in 2007, and has stayed strong in its popularity since with over 250,000 members now. This means you are guaranteed to find what you are looking for on this website whether you’re a beginner looking for some help or advice or an advanced vaper seeking out fellow tricksters.
Vaping Underground Forums is a slightly smaller, less serious vaping website, but that shouldn’t take away from it. For those looking for a slightly less strict website catered more towards beginners or casual users, it is worth checking out. Its less serious nature should not turn vapers away, as it’s become a great and fun place for discussions of all sorts to take place. It has less active users than E-cigarette Forum, but that shouldn’t take away from its sense of community with new threads being created every day.
Vaping offers more than cigarette smoking in every domain, from the variety of flavours to amazing devices that can be used. However, what’s often overlooked is the community that vaping provides, with users being able to find connection through their stories of quitting to sharing helpful tips and information online. The internet provides an excellent platform for communities to be built, which is why many vapers meet others through the use of Reddit threads and websites dedicated to vaping, but vaping conventions are probably the biggest sign that there is a widespread community of vapers out there, bringing hundreds if not thousands of vapers together every year.
As vaping continues to grow in popularity, so too will its communities.
