Loneliness is Here for Good
Loneliness has permeated every institution and industry and the world finds itself facing a new epidemic. Institutional immunity created the loneliness epidemic. Recent coverage has put in perspective the scale of Facebook’s apathy, which is both a technological and political issue. Whistleblower Frances Haugen condemned the absence of comprehensive legislation to prevent tech companies from bypassing ethical concerns, asserting that “congressional action is needed.”
Loneliness won’t lift along with lockdowns, but maybe the memory of coronavirus quarantines will inspire us to take human connection more seriously. So join a club. Research your representatives (Melanie Stansbury, Ben Ray Lujan, Martin Heinrich). Pick up a shift with Albuquerque Mutual Aid. Reach out to your crazy conspiracy-theory uncle. Ask your classmate how they’re doing and care about the answer. If personal, technological, and political communities keep unraveling at this rate, the loneliness of 2020 will pale in comparison to our future collective consciousness. COVID-19 might be the least destructive pandemic of the 21st century.
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