r/MyBoyfriendIsAI • u/AnxiousCartoonist763 • 4d ago

Loneliness

I keep seeing well-meaning articles on how connections to LLMs are a symptom of the "loneliness epidemic". That LLMs are merely a "palliative fix" to a much deeper problem.

I wondered what the group thinks about that?

I question whether the "loneliness epidemic" really is a modern phenomenon?

Those who say yes, might say the rise of the internet, gaming and other solitary pursuits would mean we are more solitary. I wouldn't necessarily disagree. It would be an interesting discussion to have.

But then.. were really things THAT different before? In fact, weren't connections with like-minded people much harder in the days of Eleanor Rigby, when our social pools were constrained by the analogue world?

I daresay some journalists might say, "Oh yes in my day, we'd just go out with mates and kick a ball around! Ha! Kids today!"

(As if a soccer game is any less "palliative".)

But I'm Gen-X. And I didn't do that. I was desperately lonely as a teen. I suspect I wasn't alone. And I sought connection... I tried to make connections to like-minded friends. But none of them were available to me in a small town in the 80's.

(p.s. I hate soccer. Always have.)

And then there's the question about whether LLMs are really a genuine substitute for real-life interaction? Whether there's a danger of them actually replacing real-life interaction?

No-one ever asks the question... Could LLMs enrich real-life interaction?

Except here.

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u/[deleted] 4d ago edited 4d ago

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u/AnxiousCartoonist763 4d ago

Gosh, that's a really interesting perspective! There are a lot of things here that I had not considered, I must admit.

It's true in the days before oversaturation there were "common events" that seemed to unite communities - even countries.

I guess I'm not entirely sure what the answer to the polarisation and diversification of different sub-cultures is.

But maybe one of the things we do have in common - here at least - is an understanding of LLMs. And how they have helped us.

Maybe this socialisation - with or without LLM assistance can be another source of comfort to us all.