Comments by "Itinerant Patriot" (@itinerantpatriot1196) on "Social Media and The Psychology of Loneliness" video.

I don't think what is described here is restricted to the hollow man as he puts it. Circumstances change and people who once had a purpose-driven life can find themselves suddenly cast adrift due to forces beyond their control. Every time a fundamental shift has occurred, whether it was the Reformation or the Industrial Revolution, there has always been a segment of the population who get left behind. Those who can adapt prosper but I think it is unfair to characterize those who do not as hollow. And the notion that spending time alone is a good thing is also somewhat fallacious. It's okay to spend some time alone as it allows you to gather your thoughts and think things through but we are social beings who were never intended to live a life of solitude. Too often when you are alone you are in lousy company. The problem is, as we shifted from an agrarian-based society to an industrial-based one the generational family became less important. Then, as we moved from an industrial-based society to a services-driven culture the nuclear family became more atomized. Now, the age of information has reduced the importance of the family unit even further. Online communities are replacing physical ones and as people connect digitally they become more isolated physically. The reason these digital communities leave us empty is because, in our hearts, we know the digital world is one we created. That is what is truly hollow. Loneliness has become a problem for a great part of society. Young people who typically weren't as prone to it's negative effects are becoming more and more detached, unmoored from the connections that separate us from the beasts of the earth and the code of the machine. The best way to combat loneliness is to build a relationship with the only one who will be with you for better or worse and will never desert you: "Be still...and know that I am God." ― Psalm 46:40
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