I thought, why is it that in this today and age with ultimate connectivity, there is not a reasonable way to make new friends? I agree physical location plays a huge role because you feel the most connection when you are in person with someone. But with remote learning and working on the rise, this loneliness situation will only get more pervasive.
I think there is a better digital medium/channel/mode of interaction/environment that can abstract as much of the genuine human connection from real-life interaction as possible, and the current social media landscape is severely lacking at it.
I am building Lonely World to learn as much about the loneliness 'market' if you will, and validate my hypotheses for the better digital social platform. I am happy so far that people have cheered me on my mission.
If you move to a new place without any contacts, and you don't speak the local language, and the locals are not famous for their warmth, you struggle.
The problem is that there is no step by step solution that works for everyone. We all have different ways to put ourselves out there.
Another example of converse: I was happy in high school (that mission school in palau), but moving to the university in TN absolutely stiffled me for those five or so years. I guess another way to phrase my point is "place does matter," and don't discount external factors for being the reason you are lonely. We in America often attribute a lot to internal factors such as attitude, outlook, mindset, etc. And, yes, internal factors are important. However, life really is a balance of external and internal factors, you need to optimize both to the extent you can. I feel like self-help talks and media emphasize internal focus because that is (supposedly) the thing you do have control over. That said, if you can get a "ticket out of town," even to just visit a new place, don't discount what it could do for your internal issues like loneliness.
But it also makes me question whether my long-term relationship (8 years) has been a good fit for me and the thing I really always wanted.
It can absolutely help some people, but for others it can make them feel like they're more alone than they've ever been, because while their anxieties and social struggles still exist, they no longer have any support structure of a family or friends from home around them.