Loners are not necessarily lonely people. Perhaps it was only my impression reading the article, but in some sections, the author tends to confuse "loneliness" and "solitude".

True loners are people "suffering" from schizoid personality disorders.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizoid_personality_disorder

I should use the term "suffering" carefully because true loners actually enjoy being alone, they admire self-reliance and feel stronger by not _needing_ others.

The beauty of modern society is how easy it is to isolate yourself from others and live like a king -- compared to hundreds of years ago, where people were needed to get the little things in life.

About _meaningful_ friendship: The Internet and the ability to travel (if needed) helps you experience the third flavor (shared pursuit of virtue) without being limited by a physical location, face to face communication and simply helps you find like-minded people.