The Shared Experience of The Loneliness Epidemic

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The emerging phenomenon known as ‘the loneliness epidemic’ has coincided with an era of carefully curated social media feeds, gamified dating culture, and a ceaseless influx of information. The way we live, work, and communicate has changed dramatically. As 1 in 3 adults now turn to AI for emotional support, it is clear that we’ve never been so alone, together.

Although a fundamental human emotion, when loneliness turns chronic, it begins to infiltrate mental and physical health. Governments are increasingly considering loneliness a public health issue, hence acknowledging it as an epidemic – in the UK a Minister for Loneliness was even appointed in 2018. The World Health Organisation estimates that 1 in 6 people face loneliness.

Described as unwanted feelings of isolation, it is possible to feel incredibly lonely surrounded by people, or vice versa. Loneliness doesn’t discriminate. The ONS found that 33% of Britons aged 16–29 reported feeling lonely ‘often, always, or some of the time’. This very telling result indicates an increasingly detached world.

Today’s youth are navigating life changes in a challenging economic and cultural climate. The pressure to perform remains, yet jobs, housing, and third spaces are ultimately in short supply. Friendships fluctuate along with the waves of life. From the recent grad in an unfamiliar city, to the single girl surrounded by couples at a wedding, loneliness is a poignantly unique experience – on reflection, it can be deemed an entirely appropriate response to a harshly shifting world.

Some of these shifts can be traced to the rise of individualism in the Enlightenment period of the 17th and 18th centuries, when ideas of reason, self-autonomy, and the pursuit of knowledge gained traction. Individual rights and freedoms were heralded and carried into the Industrial Revolution in the century that followed. Rapid urbanisation and consumerism cemented the link between productivity and social lives. Since the 2000s, this has continued to be woven into the fabric of digital life and consumer culture.

Social media feeds show us the highlight reels of what are in fact complex and nuanced lives. Brands often position products as lifestyle choices, fronted by glossy influencers. In online consumer culture, identity and, in turn, self-worth, are linked to material status. When our identities become tied to what we have, or indeed don’t have, our sense of belonging can be eroded.

That said, new hybrid communities are popping up online too, creating space to connect. Examples include ‘The Lonely Girls Club’, a nationwide community for women and ‘Shoulder to Shoulder’, a London-based men’s community. Social media movements such as comedian Sarah Millican’s #JoinIn and engaging solo vlogs are triggering deeper contemplation on the human experience.

Beyond the West, cultures exist in countries across Asia, Latin America, and Africa, where belonging and community are built into daily life. These are collectivist in spirit and not built upon principles of individualism. Governments around the world are taking steps to embed collective living. For example, in Denmark, communal spaces are being built into housing design and in Sweden, ‘Bofællesskaber’ – translated as companionship living – is bringing multi-generational groups together in shared housing, complete with on-site facilities such as gyms and libraries.

Potentially an unavoidable reaction to a robust individualistic culture, it may be more appropriate to define loneliness as a widespread social issue. Accepting the loneliness epidemic as a cultural by-product opens the door for constructive communication. The antidote is genuine connection, in any form – we need it more now than ever.