Is There Anybody Out There????
If you type in the sentence “I have no friends” on your YouTube browser, you will be instantly flooded with thousands, if not millions of videos featuring people from all across North America, all ages, races, sexual orientation, single, married, in relationships with one thing in common…… They feel desperately lonely, forgotten, friendless and disconnected from the rest of society. So why is this happening, and where the hell are we going wrong?
The Social Media Monster
It’s safe to say that most individuals lead a triple life, our persona, social mask and our social media doubleganger, this has led to a distorted perception of reality, mistrust of each other and an identity crisis on a global scale. Yes social media has its positives, however, it has robbed most people from forming authentic connections with other human beings and making the effort to build solid, long lasting, friendships. Why call someone if you can just text them? Why send a thank you letter? An emoji will do the trick. Why approach that attractive lady at the coffee shop? (That takes work and courage.) Just scroll through Tinder, and see how many responses you get to poetic quotes such as, “Sup” and “Wanna Cuddle?
Teenage suicide is on a frightening rise, due to social media bullying, and the constant compare and despair culture, where ironically, the comparisons are often made based on filtered images and preplanned videos. Young individuals are spending more time talking to strangers on the internet, rather than forming in-person-connections.
The Education System
With the amount of hours spent teaching our youth about, math, science, history ext… one would presume that, there would be an ample amount of classroom time dedicated to relationships, connections and friendships, since these are life long and much needed skills in order to move through life with a healthy mind set. It is a sad state of affairs that we are in, where most children don’t know how to approach each other in fear of interrupting someone’s screen time, perhaps if the school system banned electronics in most spaces, facilitated much smaller classes and lead workshops on these topics, the loneliness pandemic would not be this out of control. This is particularly vital in a public education system, where kids can’t even access their homework unless its via online, which brings us to the next point.
Lack Of In-Person Resources
As mentioned, it is not just kids and young adults who struggle in their quest for connection. People of all ages feel isolated due to an alarming lack of in-person activities and recourses, you would be hard-pressed to find an in-person-writing class in your area, ( trust me I tried), particularly since covid, and its only getting worse. We have to normalize face to face learning again in all aspects, the benefits of in person learning are endless; stronger connections, reasons to leave the house, peer support, face to face conversation, meeting people with whom you have common interests. Moreover, it creates a sense of duty, responsibility and purpose.
Cost Of Living
According to CNBC, overall prices have risen 13% in the last 2 years. Not only do we lack in-person recourses but we can not afford to do a damn thing even if we wanted to. Perhaps it is would serve us to adjust our expectations by finding beauty in the things which are free, a stroll by the lake with friends, flying a kite, riding a bike, rollerblading, swimming. They do say that the best things in life are free.
In Conclusion
The online ” I have no friends” trend is sad, yet hopeful, it illuminates a much needed light at the end of a dark tunnel, filled with human beings of all ages, race, sexual orientation, extending a hand to so many of us who feel the sting of isolation in a surface level society, reminding us that we are more alike than we are different, we all crave and need connection, acceptance, to be valued and seen. This viral phenomena is the start of a much needed, long overdue conversation, and serves a a spark of a global revolution.
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Words in Flight 
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