If you are lonely when you're alone, you are in bad company.
— Jean-Paul Sartre
Solipsism—the belief that nothing exists except my self—would feel comfortable were it not for the fact that beliefs are social in nature.
And yet we often feel alone sometimes, and frighteningly so.
The lockdown has heightened the feeling.
Despite solipsism's logical impossibility, loneliness has held center stage since Ancient times.
It's a key part of the picture of the world drawn by poets, lyricists, novelists, and philosophers.
Theologian Paul Tillich called loneliness our "destiny."
"Being alive means being in a body—a body separated from all
other bodies," he said. "And being separated means being alone."
Mobile phones and computers are amplifying our tendencies toward solitude, anonymity, isolation, social distancing, and the willful avoidance of others.
Those behaviors, in turn, are increasing the instances of mental disorders like anxiety, depression, and paranoia.
Psychiatrists call this phenomenon the "Internet Paradox" and suggest that social media isn't social at all, but antisocial.
Social media is worsening our craving for loneliness.
The Internet Paradox could explain the sharp rise in severly abusive comments appearing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
It could also explain the sharp increase in impulsive and aggressive behaviors on our streets and public forums.
