New Generation and Loneliness: Loneliness Epidemic

In November 2023, the World Health Organization accepted that loneliness is an issue for health. With the many things that have happened, the new generation has begun to feel more alone than their older generations. Since this issue was declared official, many things have stayed the same.

Technology has many pros, of course, but loneliness is one of its most important cons. With technology, we can interact with people even from other countries. However, that interaction mainly stays online. Sometimes, going to a cafe with a friend can heal so many wounds. But that is not physically possible with online friends. Also, the COVID-19 pandemic caused people to depend on online friends more. Thus, many people feel lonely in their social lives.

This loneliness can also occur because more people are online. Even though we do not know everyone, we encounter different types of people more. We can witness many lives. We can witness their lifestyles. This actually causes people to lose their trust in others. For example, if we see a famous couple break up, we happen to think that love is not temporary at all. If we witness a group of friends breaking up, we believe that friendships may come and go. With this, people play it safe. Thus, again, people feel lonely.

Also, modern life has brought many things to our lives. During school years, kids may struggle with making new friends. If they make friends, they struggle to keep connection after graduating. Because the modern work life forces people to work alone, people get isolated from one another. The famillies are smaller too. People do not prefer to have big friend groups or big families anymore. In this modern century, alienation causes the feeling of loneliness.

Briefly, with many factors, people feel loneliner than ever. This issue is important not just for our mental health, but also for our physical health. That is why WHO warned everyone about this problem. We should try to avoid loneliness epidemic and try to fill our lives with nice friends! Thank you for reading, see you in my next content!