Being lonely in the crowd might seem ridiculous. But according to a recent survey, the situation is all too common. Loneliness and other anxiety problems - worrying about life's pressures - can even lead to self-murder.          An article in China Daily gave no reason for this other than the usual blaming of the post-80s generation. According to a high level official, young people suffering from discouragement are mostly "spoiled and have not been taught to be independent, responsible and express 'thank-you'." Well, how do you like that? First, I don't think China's youth are exactly spoiled. They certainly have more things than their parents did, but a lot of the money spent on them is for their education including various extra classes.          Discouragement and anxiety are now the fastest growing challenges in modern societies. We sense a lack of close friends who can talk to honestly and openly. In 1985, a US study found that one in ten people did not have such a friend. In 2006, it was one in four. It's easy to see the connection between loneliness and discouragement. But what actually causes this increasing loneliness?          Surely, with Internet social networking sites such as Kaixin, we have more friends than ever. A new study has shown that the more time teenagers spend in front of computers, the less close they are to friends and family.Kaixinor QQ may be fun but it lacks meaning, compared to personal connections in the real world.          And then there are those endless online games popular with young Chinese but increasingly there are more interesting choices. For example, new sports such as skateboarding are starting to catch on in bigger cities, as is playing music in a band. These creative hobbies are done in a group and thus friendship can be stronger. Hopefully young people will also be drawn out of the Internet cafes and interactive computer games that in fact fail to recreate a real and interactive experience. What does the writer think of the Internet social networking site Kaixin?
Open but ridiculous. Funny but meaningless. Real and interesting. Honest and responsible.