There are a multitude of factors contributing to this epidemic of loneliness. One of them being that so much is available to us without having to move. We have remote controls, everything can be delivered to us, we can text and call. There is social media and email. The onset of COVID has also brought a mix of positive and negative effects. These include more remote work. Although it has benefits, it also creates a physical distance from each other whereas people used to physically go to work which is a major place we connect, communicate, and make friends. There is no doubt that increasing loneliness has profound negative impacts on mental health. Services like AI personal assistants, online coworking spaces and virtual reality social gatherings could be of help. However, it is unlikely it can meet the full caliber effects of good old fashioned in person socialization. The majority of our communication is non-verbal and from how we present to each other and with our body language in the room. Much of this is lost on a virtual platform. Virtual platforms can still very much have a place. But would be quite a different experience compared to say an experience such as having a nice meal together or being physically in a room with many people picking up on a funny inside joke!