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Americans are choosing to be alone, but we should reverse that

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Americans are choosing to be alone, but we should reverse that

#81

Post by ilaksh »

gherkinnn wrote: post #37
ilaksh wrote: post #11

A few thoughts: 1. The internet means we have many forms of entertainment available without needing to go anywhere. 2. Many of those are social activities, even though we are physically alone. This is completely different from being totally isolated (as implied by the article). 3. The declining economic situation affects the ability of people to pursue leisure activities that would involve actually going somewhere th…

I find this very hard to believe. Real interactions are so rich, how could these goggles even hope to get there in a few years? What is having dinner together if you didn’t even eat the same? And this is the most banal example I could think of. I’d sooner become an actual hermit than to share a soggy McD burger over VR.

No, its not the most banal, its the one that most obviously doesn't translate.

Of course its not the same as being in person. But it can be much closer than people realize.

As I said, eye-tracking will be built in, so there will be eye contact. The environment renderings and avatars will be realistic. You can already do really interesting interactions such as table tennis and tabletop RPG games such as Demeo.

Re: Americans are choosing to be alone, but we should reverse that

#82

Post by ilaksh »

nullish_signal wrote: post #22
ilaksh wrote: post #11

A few thoughts: 1. The internet means we have many forms of entertainment available without needing to go anywhere. 2. Many of those are social activities, even though we are physically alone. This is completely different from being totally isolated (as implied by the article). 3. The declining economic situation affects the ability of people to pursue leisure activities that would involve actually going somewhere th…

"The bad economy means you can't meet people in real life. But soon, everyone will buy VR goggles and hang out on rented servers!" Am I mis-understanding something here? Just go on a hike, walking is free.

Your reply is disingenuous because it implies that you truly think that there aren't a large number of social engagements that involve purchases. There are, such as restaurants, bars, facilities like bowling, trips, etc. Of course people can go on a hike. I am saying that the other stuff is less accessible for many people during an economic downturn.

Re: Americans are choosing to be alone, but we should reverse that

#83

Post by ilaksh »

rossdavidh wrote: post #26
ilaksh wrote: post #11

A few thoughts: 1. The internet means we have many forms of entertainment available without needing to go anywhere. 2. Many of those are social activities, even though we are physically alone. This is completely different from being totally isolated (as implied by the article). 3. The declining economic situation affects the ability of people to pursue leisure activities that would involve actually going somewhere th…

That is a pretty nightmarish scenario you're predicting, there, was that sarcasm?

People didn't read into it fairly, they deliberately misread what I was saying. I was not saying that people won't go back to meeting in person. I am saying that the online meetings will become more realistic.

I probably should not waste time commenting. Total lack of imagination or fairness in interpreting comments.

Re: Americans are choosing to be alone, but we should reverse that

#84

Post by germinalphrase »

naikrovek wrote: post #76
germinalphrase wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was walking under a cloud, it really helped year-to-year to pay someone to listen and talk through my thoughts and feelings.

I'm not under a cloud. I have paid for therapy for 20 years. the world is filled to the top with people who lie, cheat, and steal, because those things are easier than working, waiting, and being nice. the earth is a hellscape full of people waiting to feed on everything you have.

Ah, I see. Well, I hope you find peace and pleasure in your solitude.

Re: Americans are choosing to be alone, but we should reverse that

#86

Post by coffeefirst »

mensetmanusman wrote: post #46

People can’t compete with the infinite entertainment quality of the phone. These trends aren’t surprising.

“Quality” is a strong word but you’re onto something. If there’s nothing to do at home, you have to go… somewhere. If there’s endless amusement at home, even if it makes you feel dead inside, you can put off the hard work of going out in the real world and meeting new people.

So the Internet/streaming becomes a crutch.

Re: Americans are choosing to be alone, but we should reverse that

#87

Post by BigRedDog1669 »

dxuh wrote: post #66
guicho271828 wrote: post #54

What I (non-US) observed: non-U.S. people when talking about their own medical issues: I have this medical issue, I wonder if I should see a doctor, the cause may be this. U.S. people when talking about their own medical issues: I had this medical issue, I saw a doctor, and the cause was this. non-U.S. people when talking about their own divorce: I am thinking about divorcing my wife/husband. U.S. people when talking…

Could you please state your point more explicitly?

Maybe that people outside the us involve others more in decision making and rely on them for support. And in the US people decide things on their own and their conversations are just storytelling. Not sure if that is what the commenter was going for, just a guess

Re: Americans are choosing to be alone, but we should reverse that

#88

Post by kevin_thibedeau »

notch656a wrote: post #4

Kind of shocked this trend applied to parents during the pandemic. With daycares and schools shut-down I have no idea how parents not only got alone time but the trend went upward.

I had coworkers who were desperate for an excuse to go to the office during the pandemic to get away from the chaos at home.

Re: Americans are choosing to be alone, but we should reverse that

#89

Post by JohnFen »

altacc wrote: post #19

There's been a lot of talk recently about effects of loneliness and the "loneliness epidemic". What a lot of this lacks, including this article, is a good and correct definition of loneliness. They seem to use the lazy & inaccurate definition of "spending significant time alone", which is very different to being lonely. There's a lot of people who are now able to spend more time alone than before and are happy with t…

The easiest place to feel lonely is in a big crowd.

Re: Americans are choosing to be alone, but we should reverse that

#90

Post by kiawe_fire »

naikrovek wrote: post #72
nullish_signal wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you always have problems with other people, other people aren't the problem

this is exactly the response I expected, and it has been delivered right on time. you have proven my point: humans are assholes, and see whatever they need to see to justify how they treat others. you have taken 0.5 seconds of time to believe that you have figured out my problem, in it's entirety , and then made that statement in order to feel superior to me by telling me that it's my fault. do you really, really thi…

Funny, when discussing many situations such as poverty, career opportunities, or physical health issues, negative experiences leading to a pessimistic outlook is usually accepted, and met with acknowledgement of inequalities or systemic issues. Suggesting otherwise is sometimes even taboo.

But attempt to share the same kind of experience-informed outlook on friendship and sociality, and the same empathy is rare. This outlook seems to deeply bother people who presumably have had positive experiences.

The means of reconciling this bothersome viewpoint seems to be either insistence on a supposed “friendship meritocracy” (just do these things and have a happy attitude and you’ll find friends!) or by skipping straight to vitriol. The response is fascinating in its own right, really.

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