# Opinion | Americans are spending more time alone. Let's reverse that. - The Washington Post

<https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/23/americans-alone-thanksgiving-friends/>

- Host: [washingtonpost.com](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/hosts/washingtonpost.com/)
- Saved: November 30, 2022 (2022-12-01T03:30:23Z)
- Record: https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/543ccb5b89f4/
- JSON: https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/543ccb5b89f4.json

## What Jamie wrote

These numbers continue to trend down, and none of this seems like it can be good for us.

> By 2019, the average American was spending only four hours per week with friends (a sharp, 37 percent decline from five years before). Social media, political polarization and new technologies all played a role in the drop. (It is notable that market penetration for smartphones crossed 50 percent in 2014.)

I was a little shocked to see that none of this now unused time is going to those we love either.

> On average, Americans did not transfer that lost time to spouses, partners or children. Instead, they chose to be alone.

We humans have a profound need to connect with others, which I totally think is a fact. We are also so anxious and avoidant of that need that it seems that little glowing piece of glass can overrid that fundamental need entirely. Related reading, [Bowling Alone](http://bowlingalone.com).

## Facts

- Kind: [Page](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/kinds/page/)

## Appears in

- [WT236: Weekly Thing #236 / ChatGPT, Reading, Legitimacy](https://weekly.thingelstad.com/archive/236/), Notable

## Same host

- [Smart TVs like Samsung, LG and Roku are tracking everything we watch - The Washington Post](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/3f604fdc4f78/) (washingtonpost.com, February 18, 2021)
- [Peloton agrees to recall Tread Plus treadmills in a deal with Consumer Product Safety Commission - The Washington Post](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/bf9d021bb3a3/) (washingtonpost.com, May 6, 2021)
- [Chris Gilliard aims to abolish Silicon Valley’s surveillance machine - The Washington Post](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/f299c2132f31/) (washingtonpost.com, September 22, 2021)
- [Opinion | Christine Emba: Men are lost. Here’s a map out of the wilderness. - The Washington Post](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/bdccf1bfcd81/) (washingtonpost.com, July 26, 2023)
- [He was suicidal and needed help. A 15-year-old girl pushed him to kill himself on a live stream. - The Washington Post](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/416cbf091807/) (washingtonpost.com, December 12, 2024)

## Saved the same week

- [Shopify Merchants Set New Black Friday Cyber Monday Record with $7.5 Billion in Sales](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/520b920eb8b9/) (news.shopify.com, November 30, 2022)
- [Fantasy Jodorowsky Tron visualisations by Johnny Darrell | DJ Food](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/b4541ed060f8/) (djfood.org, November 30, 2022)
- [How do transistors work, anyway? - lcamtuf’s thing](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/de6fff50031f/) (lcamtuf.substack.com, November 30, 2022)
- [The 7 Habits of Highly Overrated People - DaedTech](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/9e86137ebb6a/) (daedtech.com, November 30, 2022)
- [The Need to Read](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/fae97a57fa17/) (paulgraham.com, November 30, 2022)

## Elsewhere

- Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/*/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/23/americans-alone-thanksgiving-friends/