The article captures the loneliness epidemic well but it made me a little sad that it just moves directly into how businesses and politicians can benefit from it. Could the loneliness that people feel even be satiated by the kinds of relationships we had before the prevalence of social tech?

It feels unlikely. Maybe this new loneliness isn’t the same, even as what we’ve grown familiar with through decades of tv and movie celebritydom. Traditional social interactions may feel unsatisfying in comparison to what we now crave. We’re no longer just seeking connection… we want an audience, we want to be heard but not necessarily to hear. This isn’t entirely new, but it seems more pervasive now than ever. The disease of digital loneliness has been manufactured so that the only cure seems to be some impossible hyper-reality where every lonely person gets their own little social media following.

What good is sitting down with someone for a conversation where you may or may not come out feeling anything like the thrill you get with constant interaction and validation? Has loneliness changed into something we can’t fix by putting the phone down? Is there a way back that isn’t regressive? Is there a way forward that isn’t dystopian?

I think there's some truth here, but part of the change is that people have become aware they are/have to be a brand. Like MKBHD is his initials and a brand.

In the past, I think it was the same thing, like actors typecasting themselves, but named differently.

Also, I think the internet has degraded brands. Getting a decent brand to show up on amazon is sort of ridiculous since no name upper-case "brands" get equal or better billing, and better (fake? nudged?) reviews.