Do ya’ll ever wonder if single family zoning, and car-centric urban planning, are some of the primary factors behind modern adults suffering from rampant loneliness? Two environments renown for fostering friendships and social activities are university campuses, and seasonal jobs in remote locations. What do those two things have in common? Proximity. People work, eat, and play together. In another word, community.

In my experience, humans are simple creatures. We take the path of least resistance. For your standard adult, the concept of traveling across town to meet up with friends after a full day of work or chores is exhausting. We crave those connections, but the barrier to entry is too high. We settle for whatever scratches that itch with the minimal amount of effort. Typically that involves some form of social media or other digital communication. It’s like grabbing that crappy packet of ramen because you ran out of groceries before your market day. It’s not really what you want to have for dinner, but it’s what is readily available so you shrug and eat it anyway.

This is all anecdotal and speculation on my part, but I’m curious if anyone else has any thoughts on this.

  • averyminya@beehaw.org
    6·
    10 months ago

    I’ve taken the bus and BART (train) to work for 6+ years and have had all of 5 conversational interactions between them, usually while waiting and not on the vehicle itself. I’ve definitely interacted with more people just standing outside a car in a parking lot, ranging from games and shows to just both being out.

    For the cast of BART, it’s just a really loud train, screechingly loud. Plus there can be weirdos and scam artists so it’s generally best to just keep to yourself there. For the bus I’ve had a few conversations, but they’ve mostly been recognizing people rather than spontaneous conversations.

    But that was mostly the area I grew up in as well. Some spots are very easy to meet people and talk with anybody and everybody, like aforementioned games, but then there’s other times where it’s definitely not ideal to be talking with strangers.

    Also, definitely not dismissing your view! Just what I’ve happened to notice around me as a carless person who is usually the one to strike up the conversations lol