Secret’s founder returns with anti-loneliness app Ikaria

I hate to be cynical but all this `tech to fix the social problems created by tech` really brings out the cynic in me.

Realistically I know that we do need new solutions but the solution to a drinking problem isn't to deliver better, more mindful alcohol.

Edit: To the comments below, I am not asserting that tech has actually created an entire new set of problems out of nothing, just that that is the narrative on display here and in other places. This is part of why it makes me so incredibly cynical.

Concurrent to the rise in loneliness, depression, anxiety etc. we have experienced a rise in geographical mobility, single parent households, and the divorce rate.

Which means that for many, the traditional social networks people relied on for support during hard times--family and lifelong friends--are more distant, geographically and emotionally, than ever before.

People may turn to social media as a poor substitute just as alcoholics confronted by trauma turn to drinking, but this doesn't mean that booze or tech are the root cause. I think it's absolutely fair to compare social media to say booze or weed as something that's fine in moderation, but can easily turn into an escape/coping mechanism which has its own problems.

Maybe tech can help, maybe not. But what troubles me is that we may be scapegoating tech because the real root causes of our growing mental illness epidemic are too difficult to face.

As far as I know there has been no society in history prior to ours where families and lifelong, geographically proximate friends were not the central part of people's lives. Thus we have no proof in the historical record that such a society can even last more than a few generations.

The problem isn't apps (or 'tech') per se, it's more of a systemic problem. The solutions will almost definitely involve a mix or cultural evolution, technology, and the impact of various groups and organizations.