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Let me guess, isolation - both social and physical, brought about by cell phones and social media cancer is making people lonely and depressed. They turn to alcohol but that doesn’t quite do it so they turn to opioids and then decide to take their life. Perhaps I’m just pulling on unrelated strings to make a rope, or perhaps there is some truth to it?

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Social media and cell phones are the partial solution to the isolation brought about by the way we design our communities - sprawl, no town centers, etc. Also, drunk driving becoming more penalized (rightly so) so less gathering in bars, people becoming less religious. Isolation is the cause of the rise of social media, not the opposite, in my opinion.

It’s peobably both, cause and effect. I agree with everything else you said. It’s just hard not to be depressed when I see everyone staring at their phone. I imagine back in the day people would strike up conversations and make random friends. Can anyone who was an adult pre-phones confirm this? There is no reason to make conversations with strangers anymore as anything you read online is likely more interesting and you can “pause” any time. I am guilty myself, and have to remind myself constantly that there is more to being in public than hiding behind a screen. Maybe I’m the weirdo who occasionally makes too much eye contact.

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