What's your creative solution to solve the loneliness epidemic?
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Structured way of spending a lot of time in the same environment with other people with similar goals. "Go out on your own and make friends" doesn't work for many of us, additional free time will not help.
There's a good reason most people make long-term friendships in school and university, we need a similar space where we are surrounded by the same people every day (even though we may not like all of them).
I have no idea what could it be since our society frowns upon such ideas.Before Covid the office kinda took this role, however it was a gamble and not voluntary.
It doesn't have to be structured. It just has to give opportunities for repeat interactions, and maybe a promise of future interaction with the same person, in that low pressure environment.
Dog parks have a bunch of dogs mingling, so their owners will often have the opportunity to get to know each other.
Neighbors who see each other often have an opportunity to get to know each other. That goes for work neighbors, too, even if they work for another employer entirely (but in the same building or something.
Regulars at a coffee shop, restaurant, bar, or gym might learn to recognize each other and go from exchanging pleasantries to actually getting to know each other (and the staff).
Church isn't as big a thing as it was a few generations ago, but any kind of social meetings, from support groups to volunteer associations, give the opportunity to work together for a common goal.
This is where hobbies and free time come in. And I'm not going to knock video games and other hobbies where you might interact with people online, but there is something fundamentally different about repeated in-person interactions. So it's worth making sure that your routine includes regular interaction with people in low-stakes settings.
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Spend less time online, do less digital activities.
I do more IRL, in-person, activities. Any kind of activity most of us somehow forget we used to do well before Internet and digital was a thing can still be done without the Internet and without a computer of any kind.
In-persons is intimidating but it also helps keep away the armies of online trolls and haters that online thrive to hurt other people. Provided one behaves like a decent human being, it's very rare people IRL will hate on anyone for goofing up or for not agreeing with them. It's ok.
I also do as much as I can the analog way, without anything digital. It helps. Be it to write or sketch, or do stuff with my hands. Heck, even me using a paper agenda instead my phone will regularly trigger surprised/interested questions from people that otherwise would probably never have talked with me to begin with
Took up Yoga and BJJ for physical activity. Volunteering with a charity a friend of a friend runs handy out seasonal survival supplies to homeless. Creative outlet next but I'm indecisive there so far.
My friend pool is recovering by going outside to the same places repeatedly, can confirm.
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Step 1
- Demolish all housing - everyone is homeless now
Step 2
- Mandate that everyone design their own silly costume - this is all you're allowed to wear
Step 3
- Legalize and subsidize all the fun drugs - everyone gets a weekly allowance of shrooms, ecstasy, etc
Step 4
- Loneliness is officially replaced with several other problems
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One night a week of mandatory, free, tabletop RPGs hosted in libraries, council buildings, etc. D&D (or even a good roleplaying game) for everyone! Player groups are mixed up every two months to ensure multiple opportunities for bonding with new people.
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Lets cap the population of cities to 10 000 and make everyone live in a small town.
1000 even, humans suck when the repercussions of their actions aren't immediately known and actionable by everyone around them.
You're a lot less likely to get away with ripping someone off if your grocery store clerk and the local restaurant server will literally kick your ass to the curb when they find out.
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Mandatory copulation every 14 hours.
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My shitpost response is that I personally plan to be sluttier.
My serious response is that social media needs to be more social.
I hate Facebook because it’s just an advertising platform, but I don’t know what is going on if I avoid it. I wish there was a way to just share social calendars with all my friends. Like - I want a group tracker that one-click adds stuff that I find interesting. I want to only see stuff certain folks have added to their tracker, and have the ability to share with folks what stuff I’m sharing to share, vs what I’m sharing because I’m actually going to attend something. Make it easy to connect with folks, not advertisers. -
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Be comfortable being alone.
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AI would be a good matchmaker between people who were honest, but I think that doesn't address the main problem with online dating. That problem (at least for heterosexuals) is that there are a lot more men than women participating. I think women don't like online dating because they get harassed by creeps and they're worried that even someone who seems nice will turn out to be a creep in real life. Creeps will be willing to lie to a matchmaking AI because they don't actually care about compatibility and just want the "one weird trick" that gets women to have sex with them.
Creeps are a problem for more than just women. I downloaded Scruff, a gay dating app, a few weeks ago and the very first interaction I had on there was a guy starting off the interaction asking about my genitals (
, but I tactfully disclose being trans in my profile...) and immediately after I explained he asked for pictures. And my profile says I don't do pics.Some men just suck.
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For starters, Ubi, and then expansive and free public transit for all and accessible for all including disabled people, more free places to just go and exist, no facism and more community. That's just for the beginning though
wrote on last edited by [email protected]deleted by creator
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Mandatory copulation every 14 hours.
wrote on last edited by [email protected]deleted by creator
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a government dating app that has no algorythm, no payment, punishes mass scrollers, and has a ton of admins who actually ban the idiots out. we have the technology, but its all enshitificated.
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a government dating app that has no algorythm, no payment, punishes mass scrollers, and has a ton of admins who actually ban the idiots out. we have the technology, but its all enshitificated.
This would work approximately as well as all the current apps. The people you want to date are either already in relationships, date without using the apps, aren't dating right now, or simply don't want to date you because you aren't their type or aren't good enough for them. The idea that the evil corporations know exactly who your perfect match is and are keeping them from you is a fantasy. The fact is, dating apps don't work for most people because most people don't put the effort in to present themselves well and put themselves out there.
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My shitpost response is that I personally plan to be sluttier.
My serious response is that social media needs to be more social.
I hate Facebook because it’s just an advertising platform, but I don’t know what is going on if I avoid it. I wish there was a way to just share social calendars with all my friends. Like - I want a group tracker that one-click adds stuff that I find interesting. I want to only see stuff certain folks have added to their tracker, and have the ability to share with folks what stuff I’m sharing to share, vs what I’m sharing because I’m actually going to attend something. Make it easy to connect with folks, not advertisers.wrote on last edited by [email protected]Then make it. Everyone fucking hates Facebook, the time is now!
Also, I'm totally on board with the slut strategy. From a utilitarian perspective, I'm making the world a better place one orgasm at a time
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Walkable neighborhoods with affordable places to hang out.
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Just have a war. Nothing brings people together like necessity and shared trauma.
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Is it too harsh to say to outside and interact with people?
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The reason there were mountain men in the old days is that they appreciated nature and they didn't feel alone though they often were. It's not that hard to rekindle that feeling you only have to work at it a little. I was taking walks in the woods back when I was in grade school and I seldom feel alone though it's harder to feel like that in a city.
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We turn the Internet off at the weekends
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Is it too harsh to say to outside and interact with people?
it's lethally hot outside
