People used to get their feelings of belonging from their church and religion. As religion takes a backseat, people are finding that sense of community in new areas (like Crossfit).
I personally felt really lost toward the end of university. Due to injury, I was unable to play sports, which is where I'd found my "tribe" growing up. I also was doing a lot of soul-searching after shutting down my last company, and so was feeling disconnected from a lot of the people in the startup world.
Anyways, through a series of random events, I ended up starting a coliving experiment for developers & entrepreneurs in Costa Rica.
I thought the value would be having interesting people around while abroad, but the best part was getting thrown into a collegial atmosphere, where people would just hang out and shoot the breeze about anything they found interesting. It was a really profound experience for me, and I've since spent 11 out of the last 14 months in various co-living arrangements around the world through Hacker Paradise.
There are definitely drawbacks to intense levels of community. You have a bit less privacy, and interpersonal friction will arise.
Still, I think it can be a really remarkable experience for people in their "Odyssey years," while they're still trying to figure out what they want to make their life's work. I know I've made closer friends through co-living than I would have otherwise.