Thread by @tomaspueyo

I'm tired of the lazy reporting on loneliness:

"We have a loneliness epidemic, it's making ppl miserable & killing them. Probably due to social media, phones, suburban life, or smthg. Let's go back to meeting in real life!"

No!

Yes, we do spend more time alone:

As time passes, we live more and more alone

As we get older, we also spend more and more time alone!

And look how many people say they're lonely!

Narrative violation: Ppl *want to spend more time alone* as they become richer

Narrative violation: ppl say they're *less lonely* as they age (and spend more time alone)

Narrative violation: in developed countries, the more ppl live alone, the less lonely they say they are

Narrative violation: Generations born between 1920 and 1970 in the US all feel the same level of loneliness

Narrative violation: US teenagers felt *less lonely* over time between 1977 and 2012

Narrative violation: Ppl are committing suicide more than before... mainly in the US!

So what's happening?
Ppl are mixing *loneliness* with *aloneness*
We are spending more time alone
But this is *not* making us lonelier
We like it!

There isn't a loneliness *epidemic*. It's always been there. We should fight it, but it's not new, so it's not due to social media

But hold on. Here's the 2nd level of poor reporting: Teenagers

They *are* committing suicide at alarming rates! Look at 20-34yo:

What's happening? Yes, young adults in the US are more depressive and are committing indeed more suicide, driving the average up

The obvious culprit: Whatever started around 2010-2012 and is causing depression. Social media and mobile phones? Maybe the Great Depression?

And *yes*, there's plenty of evidence that social media and phones do make ppl miserable, especially teenagers and young adults

@RichardHananiarichardhanania.com/p/how-i-change…

So if this is true... We should be seeing this across the world, right?

No! Young adults are not committing more suicide in other countries!

Do young ppl have less access to mobile phones & social media in France? In JAPAN?!

In fact, this phenomenon is hard to find in other countries...
Except maybe in North American countries

Whatever is depressing US teenagers so much that they commit suicide more, it's something specific of the US (and maybe its neighbors?)

Indeed, young adults in the US are more prone to depression (but I can't find data on depression since 2000 for OECD countries. @MaxCRoser )

Why do US young adults commit + suicide? This paper explores this question:
• Guns unlikely
• Opioid crisis unlikely
• Surveys suggest there doesn't appear to be more bullying (but then why more depression?)
• Or suicide attempts

So what is going on?!
nber.org/system/files/w…

*We don't know*

Maybe...
• Social media is making existing bullying more aggressive in the US? (but why not elsewhere?)
• Young ppl can more easily find lethal ways to commit suicide online? (but why not elsewhere?)
• Suburban life (but why now?)
• Culture wars?

We should worry about social media & phones, and fight their negative influence

But mixing aloneness, loneliness, and social media is failing to find the pbm

This is specifically a US young adults pbm

If we don't know their pbm, we can't solve it
Let's keep looking for answers