Despite being more connected than ever, we're pretty lonely right now. So lonely, in fact, that in 2023, the World Health Organization declared the 'loneliness epidemic' a global public health concern.
Roughly a quarter of the world reported feeling lonely, with young people making up the brunt of that figure.
In other words, we're facing a crisis.
So, what's the solution? Social clubs are springing up in cities everywhere, Japan has pushed support groups and the Dutch have found success in flatshares that mix elderly and younger residents.
But while these measures have all been shown to help, they're a drop in a rather big, lonely ocean. Rates of loneliness are increasing and a global solution isn't easy to come by... Or is it? Tech companies are jumping at the opportunity to fight loneliness with all sorts of hard- and software. But while they've gotten off to a surprisingly good start, the tech has a long way to go if it wants to actually cure loneliness.
LONELINESS (OVER)SIMPLIFIED
In its rush to design a solution, big tech has over-simplified its idea of loneliness, conflating it with a need for conversation.
But that's not necessarily big tech's fault; few of us understand loneliness fully.
This story is from the October 2024 edition of BBC Science Focus.
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This story is from the October 2024 edition of BBC Science Focus.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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