Digital leisure promised us infinite worlds and global connection, but the result is paradoxical. Young people no longer meet up to chat under a tree or get bored enough to create something of their own. They prefer a fleeting like to a real hug, and they are lonelier than ever, even though surrounded by screens. It is the retreat of the human in the face of the virtual.
The algorithm that isolates us while connecting us 🤖
Digital platforms use recommendation systems to keep us glued to the screen, prioritizing fleeting content over deep interactions. Augmented reality and endless games offer constant stimuli, but eliminate the need to improvise or socialize face-to-face. The result is a generation that masters scrolling but forgets how to look into someone's eyes. Technology advances, but so does loneliness.
Boredom is no longer a thing: now there's an app for that 📱
Before, when you were bored, you invented a game with stones or watched the clouds. Now, if you don't get a like in five seconds, you have an existential crisis. Young people prefer a digital like to a real hug, and meanwhile, the trees keep waiting under the sun for someone to sit down and chat. Maybe we should create an app to remember how to hug.