But don't we see the rise of things like Twitch streaming where people watch other people play games for hours? Longer and longer gameplay experiences are becoming more common. And I do think it's people with higher incomes who have shrinking and shrinking social circles.
I do think it's primarily a reaction to our current internet and smartphones, the social contracts which broke during COVID, etc. Many many many cities and countries have complained about the exorbitant cost of everything for centuries, but we have not seen loneliness like this before, imo.
The article is referring to adults. I don't know that the % of grown adults watching Twitch all day is significant. I would say the loneliness issue here is more related to the fact that it's not easy to live close to friends, and neighbourhoods for the most part aren't designed for meeting new people.
I do think it's primarily a reaction to our current internet and smartphones, the social contracts which broke during COVID, etc. Many many many cities and countries have complained about the exorbitant cost of everything for centuries, but we have not seen loneliness like this before, imo.