We need to party more
By Alexa Hirschfeld
Co-Founder and President, Paperless Post
I believe in parties, big or small, casual or formal. I met my husband at one. At Paperless Post, our office parties shaped our culture. The first was an awkward huddle around a Keurig in our one-room office, drinking warm red wine from coffee cups. Fifteen minutes in, the awkwardness gave way to howling laughter about the day’s most painful issues. We left feeling like a team.
At a good party, people connect, and relationships are built.
Since we started Paperless Post 16 years ago, nearly a billion invitations have been sent on our platform. Our goal was to help people connect more meaningfully in the real world, and that mission is more relevant today than when we started.
Today, people gather less and scroll more. In 2025 Americans are going to parties 70% less often than we did 20 years ago. Instead of experiencing the joy of our own Saturday morning, we often observe other people’s through social media. Our physical and mental health are worse off for it.
Yes, we still go to weddings. I love dancing for hours at a wedding afterparty, the shrieking energy of a kid’s birthday can also be heartwarming. These kinds of milestone events have been the core driver of our business at Paperless Post, and we are honored to be a part of them. But gathering once a year, or once a decade, is simply not enough. We all need to party more.
We recently read a Substack by The Atlantic writer Derek Thompson where he points out that what is declining most are the casual gatherings. People used to have bowling leagues, block parties and potlucks that were less about the activity itself, and more about the ritual of connecting. Today, the people we’re losing touch with most are the ones we know, and even sometimes live near, but don’t see enough. As Derek eloquently points out, “we know our online avatars better than we know our neighbors.” Without the loose ties, where most wonderful and unexpected things happen, our lives are just more boring.
To help the situation, we’re relaunching Flyer, a lighter-weight, more casual way to plan parties, gatherings and get-togethers. Flyer is for the just-because parties, less special than a momentous event, but more fun than your average evening: the birthday after the milestone, the margaritas to celebrate a new job, the lowkey 5th birthday at the playground.
Flyer is easy to create on your phone and send through text or a link. It is less expensive than our classic product and there are lots of free options. One thing that distinguishes it is the ability to set the tone through design, whether that is chill, funny, trashy, cool. Flyer is for people who want to express the aesthetic of their party so it stands out from the mass texts and impersonal invites. Even for casual parties, invitations matter because they set expectations about what it will be like, and get people excited.
While Flyer is still developing, we are seeing people using us for all kinds of events: seasonal dinners, charcuterie nights, rooftop cocktails, 23rd birthday drinks, book clubs and game nights. People are using us for things they couldn’t have used our classic product for. Guests like it because it looks cool and feels like they were invited on purpose.
You might be thinking that “IRL still takes effort,” but I say it will give more than it takes. The reason we all need to party more is because people are way better in real life than they are online. After two years of COVID lockdown, I remember seeing my friends at a party and thinking “yes actually, I do like you”. My friends were more funny, nuanced or sensitive than what I was getting from them in exclusive hologram-form. Real life makes people more dimensional, less dramatic, less perfect and less preachy.
So find an excuse: a fall picnic, cozy winter drinks. Do it at your house, at a restaurant, lunch in the park. Prioritize connecting and entertaining, rather than impressing. Bring a speaker, a cooler. Have whatever kind of party you want, just send the invitations out, and tell me if you regret it.
Check out Flyer and create your next event, because life is more fun at a party.
Turn your favorite group chat into an IRL party in minutes with textable invites that match your aesthetic. 
