this post was submitted on 24 Nov 2025
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It didn't used to be. At least for me and i don't recall constantly seeing posts on social media about how lonely and sad everyone was or how to make friends. Now every other magazine article is about how lonely everyone is, nobody gets together, and gen Z doesn't socialize, drink, or have sex.

Why is there such an epidemic of loneliness and why are people content to be lonely rather than socialize?

Why is so hard to connect? Because people having nothing in common anymore? I used to connect with people over books, movies, hobbies, etc. But now it feels increasingly hard to do that. Most folks I meet don't care about any of that, they just mostly complain about their lives to you or go on political rants about how unfair the world is.

My friends and my dates no longer seem to watch films, or do much of anything other than spend time on social media? I dont' use social media so I'm pretty ignorant of it all.

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[–] Zephorah@discuss.online 7 points 1 day ago

I think a step back is the answer. I’m old. I love tech. But I grew up without it which does have advantages, like being comfortable visiting someone’s domicile and vice versa.

Substack seems popular, and it’s quite a throwback. It’s like blogs of the early Internet and lovely long form design alongside current media. And it works. Bringing back good elements we’ve forgotten. Steps back can be good.

Meetup was also a thing back in the day, and in some cities, it worked. Artists in some locales would get together for drawing, including figure drawing. Safely. Outdoor movie nights. Probably the best use of the top floor of a parking garage that I’ve ever seen. And tabletop D&D. That was 20 yrs ago. Substack brought back a new/improved form of blogging though so why not this too?

All these young people doubting the authenticity of Stranger Things. We can’t roll back helicopter mommies but we can start engaging in tabletop more.

RISK night can also be good. Highly recommend RISK 2210. 5 turns each and it takes 3 hours. It’s wonderful.

Board games or tabletop are good because they’re easier, socially. You don’t have to be hyper focused on the interpersonal, you have a task to do, a reason to be there. It reduces that other anxiety in a natural way. And it’s not expensive, like food venues or bars.

If you’re clueless on tabletop, watch a HarmonQuest or two. The fun side is dressed up with animation, but you’ll get the idea on how the story progression can work.