How Gen Z Became The Loneliest Generation Ever.

The rise of ‘loner culture’ in South Korea in the 2010s is about as depressing as it sounds. The subculture referred to as ‘honjok’ represents a myriad of youth that embrace loneliness. I’m not memeing. Allow me to re-emphasize:

The culture refers to a large number of people that enjoy the state of being alone; and the rise of single-person households and overall decline of romantic relationships reflects the accuracy of that statement.

This goes without me mentioning Hikikomori syndrome in Japan — A total withdrawal from society into cold isolation… mostly seen in adolescent men. The problem has become so great that Japan’s birthrate is quite literally free falling - and Japan’s Prime Minister announced the government “will spend twice its defence budget” this year in an attempt to tackle the dramatic decline.

Z.

And finally, we have America’s Generation Z.

Zoomers born between the late 90s and early 2010s that have a deep familiarity with technology, the internet and their dramatic evolutions.

Loneliness has become a worldwide epidemic, and the terrifying spike in loneliness in the United States — particularly in the youth exposed to the traditional workforce, or youth that actively use social media — has grown far too massive to ignore.

In a study I read, over 73% of the participants reported that “they sometimes, or always feel alone.”

So who do we point the finger at? Well…

• Free Third Places like Churches, Parks and Libraries are in decline.

• Dating is virtual and people care more about “matches” than genuinely forming connections.

• Political tensions and distrust in the government is at an all-time-high.

• Toxic comparison is everywhere, leading to dysmorphia of all kinds.

• Overstimulation from apps that use AI (that were designed to distract you) are destroying your attention span, one video at a time.

’m sure you’ve thought of multiple other reasons. Cool. But where has it led us?

Identity.

Most people can no longer afford to get married or buy a house.

They can’t afford to go out because their bills are too high.

The world is collapsing before our very eyes, and we’re so angry we’ve become desensitized to what anger even feels like. It’s so much easier to retreat behind a screen.

Your friends? Online. Your music? Online. Your love? Online. You even order all of your food online.

And this brings us to the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle: Communities have gone digital, and our identies are slowly being merged — or better yet, reincarnated — online.

CTRL.

I could write a thesis on the popularization of the “Discord E-Boy and E-Girl” subcultures that have grown dramatically alongside the rise of “crypto bros” that buy and sell identities online to greater fools that just want to feel a sense of community; or anything really.

I could talk about how people cosplay as SJWs and argue over topics and definitions they barely understand on Twitter, Reddit and other forums.

Hell, I could even talk about how some people are literally living inside of the metaverse right now.

But the gist is… your online identity, aesthetic or whatever you want to call it, is something within your control. Maybe the only thing.

Our generation has lost our sense of control.

It’s why people love NFTs so much. It’s not just some picture on the internet: It’s an appreciation for art, culture and ownership. It’s a piece of the internet you truly own; and the computer says it’s true. But when losing money becomes the norm, you forget why you loved it so much in the first place.

It’s why people spend 8 hours a day playing League of Legends, screaming at their monitors. In that universe, they have control of their character(s). They have clout and respect. They understand the game. But when something goes wrong, that feeling of losing control — in the one arena they should have full control over — breaks them.

And it’s why you’re even still reading this crazy, word-vomit of an essay. Maybe you identify with a thing or two I’ve said, and if you do, I’m sorry. Being lonely sucks, but maybe this next sentence will help you put something into perspective:

It’s okay to be alone.

And to be quite honest, we are all a bit lonely, even if some people don’t want to admit it. That in and of itself is comforting. It’s something a lot of people are going through, and you’re not the last, surviving lone wolf in the story of life.

If you’re struggling with being lonely, there’s thousands of people out there that are just as lonely. As depressing as it sounds, that… is culture. Seek them out. Join a Discord. Buy a JPEG. Ask your friend to add you to a groupchat.

Or better yet. Call an old friend…

The internet is our only birthright. We might as well make the most out of it. Stay lonely, my friends. — Lite.