Loneliness is an epidemic. Is getting outside the cure, or just something old people prescribe?

 

At a recent WSJ conference, NYU professor Scott Galloway said young people’s time spent out of the house is a forward looking indicator of their success. The video went viral on TikTok, and young people say this is way out of touch.

I discuss this topic of “getting out” with my son fairly often, including this weekend, and he’s mostly convinced me online relationships are just as social and rewarding.

He primarily uses Discord to be with his friends in real-time basically all the time he’s online. They game and watch shows/movies and talk for hours in the same way they do when together.

One irony: he made his latest case to me as we walked all over the city on Saturday, and he was thrilled to be out exploring freestyle.

I didn’t point out this fact because it would’ve detracted from the credibility of his argument. Which by the way, also included a pointed comment about how he probably has more friends and is more social than me.

I responded by noting that my friends are all spread out, and I connect with them daily, and how he just doesn’t see it.

LOL, it made me realize my social life is WAY more like his than I thought. It’s way more online than this Old Person might openly admit.

In any case, Professor Galloway offers good arguments for getting out more in his full piece on this topic. Below is a key excerpt that makes the point, and the link to his full post is below.