Loneliness is pervasive and rising, particularly among the young
Another thing I wondered about is the impact of automation and volatility on, for lack of a better word &#x27;involuntary&#x27; micro social interactions.<p>Until fairly recently people had &#x27;forced&#x27; social interactions when doing their finances, shopping etc. Even if involuntary they &#x27;trained&#x27; people&#x27;s social skills and withered away at their acquired&#x2F;innate social anxiety.<p>Furthermore, even in these situations the persons you interacted with, the cashier at the supermarket, the bank teller, the shop assistant, were often there for a fairly long time, so that all those social-micro-transactions added up over the years. Yes, they were &#x27;strangers&#x27;, but stangers you to some extend &#x27;knew&#x27; or where familiar with. Being around those made you less lonely.<p>Now you do your banking through an app and a teller machine, you shop online, and if we are to believe the proponents soon your pizza and beer will be delivered by a drone and your online groceries and other purchases by a self driving van. The few contacts in those situations you might still have are not with the same person, but with randos fulfilling a 0 knowledge scripted for efficiency procedure. These interactions can&#x27;t compound into a latent unspoken social bond and thus contribute nothing to alleviating the feeling of loneliness.