Tech has played a big part in the shift that has caused lonleyness, but its at best a sideffect. there are four key things that "obliged" people to meet in the

Tech has played a big part in the shift that has caused lonleyness, but its at best a sideffect. there are four key things that "obliged" people to meet in the local area: 1) organised religion 2) organised fun, ie drinking, sports, location based hobbies 3) organised politics (social clubs dressed up as poltical movements, or vicaversa but crucially meeting regularly to do activities together) 4) work In the UK at least there has been a strong but steady shift away from 1 & 3, to the point where they just don't really exist at any critical mass for people under 60. work is now more remote, which mean less concentration of people Combine that with digital means to form your own virtual groups, You have less and less ties to your local area. sprinkle on top that parents are utterly horrified by the idea that children might be left to wander, means that meeting your best mate (because there they are on the same street and the same age) becomes digital only. In the UK is has (almost) never been safer to walk about in public https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingdecember2024 https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeand... yet we are paralysed by fear that young people are going to be mugged, drunk, mixed up in drugs. There is also a massive decline in funded social venues, as council budgets have been slashed. So whilst tech could be blamed for this, I strongly suspect that its only making it more bearable. The UK at least needs systematic cultural change.