Causally or correlation?

micro or macro?

i dont see how any logical argument could be made in a binary comparison of say the 1990s vs 2020s.

1990s:
-tv, video games, computers still existed
-nuclear family percent higher
-average age of first child younger (age 23 vs 27.1 today)
-marriage rate higher (9.8/1k vs 6/1k today)

IMO families mean forced interaction, people with more forced interactions tend to on average be less lonely. they might be more stressed, but less lonely.

That explains the loneliness for people above the age of 25, but it doesn't explain the same for young people today. Something else is different. Maybe it is singlehood, divorce, and single parenthood though. Who knows.

Even back in 2000, books like "bowling alone" were written and observed the long-standing trend of declining social capital is US society.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowling_Alone

It's a trend which goes back decades, but got supercharged during the covid era.


I would also argue that hyperpolarization and identity politics both contribute to the general sense of loneliness. When people feel like they constantly have to walk on eggshells, are constantly one bad comment away from getting cancelled or even fired, they will automatically have a harder time opening up to their co-workers or co-eds. This is probably also the reason why Trump rallies are such a cathartic, almost spiritual event for his supporters: they are surrounded by like-minded people and can publicly embrace their beliefs for which they would get ostracized in most other contexts.

This post was edited by Black XistenZ on Apr 12 2024 09:39pm

fraud lefties kept in line through fear. they even taught trump is worse than hitler. i did a thread on something like that.
all the lefties have to offer is fear. look at it. climate change is going to kill you, covid is going to kill you, trump is hitler

What you describe is happening disproportionately in city and suburbs. The social capital in rural communities is shockingly very high, and that segment of population is the cathartic Trump rally type I assume.

I enjoy the people watching in our tourist months on Minnesota, always love seeing that family from Edina Minnesota try to get friendly with North Shore locals. Funny as hell seeing the two socializing styles reconcile.

Think one group sports more adversity than the other.

This post was edited by RedFromWinter on Apr 12 2024 11:45pm

its just one of many factors to be sure. social media being the greatest factor imo.

my post wasnt about it being THE factor, just A factor.

trust

JUSTICE

When I meet with folks who express a feeling of loneliness, they often talk about how they don't have much going for themselves outside of work or school. Religious involvement is down, the US doesn't have third spaces, and intimate partnerships have been burdened by the fact that people increasingly see their partner as the one who needs to fulfill all their social and emotional needs. We also have access to an amount of stimuli never before seen throughout human history in the palm of our hands, and with the advent of delivery services, many people just shop online and subsequently go out less. The transition from K-12 or college is increasingly rough on a younger generation, who largely developed friendships out of proximity, but who now find themselves without a clue on how make friends as an adult and who are increasingly socially anxious. I think this will only continue as the generation that grew up during Covid and was removed from social interaction unlike any recent generation prior gets older.

Most people these days don't even know their neighbors and feel disconnected from their community, town, or city. We're becoming pod people.

This post was edited by Handcuffs on Apr 15 2024 01:10pm

pre-internet people had 2 choices, find a way to start a family or in your 30s be alone. the internet gives people a false hope that they can be in a social network without in person direct family connections, or at the least a spouse.

i think it's acted as a safety net to inhibit people from forcing themselves to settle down and put down roots. in a general sense.

and obviously its a complex spiderweb of venn diagrams and causality correlation crossover. people cant afford houses, online dating and social media make people jaded and less faithful, mental health is under attack generally from unrealistic social media comparisons, etc.

still the people i know who found their way to wives/husbands and families are starting to come out ahead. when i was 25 i wouldnt have said that. the unattached non parents were thriving, bars on the weekends, spending whatever they wanted. now in our mid 30s they're all pretty much depressed and lonely. begging us to find babysitters to relive the glory days, unaware we're going home at 8 even if we do.

This post was edited by thesnipa on Apr 15 2024 01:15pm