What's Inspiring Me: The Lonely Hearts Edition
April seemed to slip away from me so quietly I didn’t even notice it passing. Which reminds me of this (slightly depressing) visualization of the fact that time does indeed speed up as you get older.
Let’s look at some cool stuff I found on the Internet, shall we?
Five Things That Caught My Eye
I’ve been spending the last month immersed in all things AI. And while I find it all pretty extraordinary to play with, the pace of change makes my head feel funny sometimes. Maybe that’s why I find myself drawn to things that are physical, made by human hands, or found in nature.
I am shit with an exact-o knife, so I double appreciate these three-dimensional sculptures that are created from and in conversation antique books.
This daily series of tiny illustrated sci-fi stories is one of the few things keeping me on Twitter these days.
These “brushstrokes in time” oil paintings give me big feels. On the other side of the spectrum, I am obsessed with this series of photos that look like oil paintings.
I am delighted by these Japanese buildings that look like what they sell. And it’s so dumb but this low-hanging fruit scented candle made me smile.
Finally, from young people in their bedrooms to the flower men of Saudi Arabia to excited people with their first TVs to silly dogs licking windows, all these photos make me feel grateful to be a person in this weird world.
Deep Dive: Lonely Hearts
This isn’t new news to anyone reading, I’m sure, but it’s something I think about a lot. Humans are lonely. Really lonely.
47% of Americans have lost friends since the pandemic.
Men are screaming their anguish into the void of TikTok. Or they’re losing their minds because their AI girlfriends can’t sext anymore.
Loneliness isn’t just an emotional experience. It actually changes our brain.
In fact, the U.S. Surgeon General recently declared loneliness a pressing public health emergency.
It’s a problem. It’s been a problem. It’s gonna continue to be a problem unless we get really focused on addressing it. Some people say the answer is living closer to our friends. But that assumes people have friends, and unfortunately, 15% of men report having no close friends at all.
Of course, there are AI solutions springing up left and right:
People are using GPT as a therapist.
Scientists are using AI and NLP to identify people at risk of loneliness.
Replika even returned sexy texting to some users.
But there are also some interesting experiments that are more human-generated.
Back in 2021, a Dutch supermarket opened up a special “slow lane” where lonely people were welcome to chat.
Jimmy Fallon’s #ThatsMyFamily Twitter trend about “weird things your family does” was a much-needed reminder that we’re all a bunch of delightful oddballs.
I love this series of illustrations that highlight the lightness you can find, even inside loneliness.
Not sure how I feel about this “remote kissing device” – but hey it’s an effort!
But maybe technology is the answer to our loneliness epidemic. After all, FaceTime makes parrots less lonely. Research shows that gaming can combat loneliness, especially in men. Maybe that’s why Heineken launched a match-making service for gamers.
What do you think? Can technology be both the cause of and the solution to a loneliness epidemic? Have you seen any lovely attempts (branded or otherwise) to bring people closer? Is this even a topic brands should be tackling? Would love to hear your thoughts.
Until next time! (I’ll be committing this list to memory in the meantime.)
Jenny
PS: If you like this newsletter, you’ll love working with me. Or bring me in for a Future Session and I’ll introduce you and your team to the latest in emerging technology (aka “show you how ai can be fun and not scary or intimidating”).