So many ways to talk, not enough ways to feel close
Gen Z is the most connected generation. We carry hundreds of contacts in our pockets, we have Snapchat streaks to maintain, Instagram stories to swipe through and can reach almost anyone with a text or phone call. Despite this unprecedented access, many young people feel lonely. According to a 2025 Cigna report cited by the LA Times, 67 percent of Gen Z reported feeling lonely, making us the loneliest generation surveyed. It’s a strange contradiction because we are only one call away from each other, yet many of us struggle to form meaningful connections. That being said, loneliness isn’t always the absence of people. It’s the feeling of having countless ways to reach people while still craving genuine closeness.
Social media can sometimes blur the line between knowing someone and knowing of someone. We can view someone’s daily BeReal, hear about their life updates and follow them online, but how much of that actually becomes a real connection?
For freshman journalism major Emily Straub, the answer comes through lived experience.
“I feel like being constantly online and having a presence on social media has made it a lot harder to form real connections in real life,” she said. “When I try to make plans with people, it’s so difficult and it feels like a lot of Gen Z doesn’t really know how to make plans with each other or maintain those connections in real life.”
Professor Jay Baglia in the College of Communication points to the same contradiction.
“I would not be alone in suggesting that — especially for young adults — social media clearly seems to be a major cause of loneliness,” he said. “And it’s not social media by itself; it’s the addictive quality of social media that leads people to unproductive behaviors.”
One example is “bed rotting,” a social media term used to describe spending long periods of time in bed scrolling through a phone, binge watching or putting off daily responsibilities. Behaviors like these can make it easier to withdraw from social interactions and spend more time alone.
The issue goes beyond the screen. The loneliness epidemic is rooted in a disconnect that shows the importance of being physically present with other people. In Baglia’s research, he emphasizes the key role of physical presence.
“Touch is incredibly important for human thriving. That’s been established for quite some time. So we do need touch. At the same time, we can live in populous cities [like Chicago] and have proximity to millions of potential relationships [both romantic and platonic] and still feel lonely due to being emotionally disconnected,” he wrote.
This disconnect doesn’t end online. Straub said when she initially arrived at DePaul University, she found it difficult to turn small interactions in class into real friendships. “I would get mostly ignored or dry responses,” she said, which made her stop trying to connect with others in those spaces.
For many young people, the effort to form connections may not always be reciprocated, and over time that can make social environments feel more isolating than welcoming. It’s not that Gen Z lacks opportunities to connect. But having access to people is not the same as feeling connected to them.
Loneliness isn’t always about being alone. It can exist in spaces that look full from the outside, but on the inside connection lacks. Everyone wants a village, but not everyone wants to be a villager. Connection requires more than access to people. It requires showing up for them, even when it takes effort or discomfort.
Meme Abouchedid, a freshman film and TV student, sees this play out in everyday life.
“I invite my friends to go out, but if they don’t know a lot of the people that are there, they simply don’t go,” she said. “We always talk about what we want, but we don’t always actually do the things that get us there.”
That gap between wanting connection and actually following through is where a lot of today’s loneliness seems to sit. In a generation that is constantly connected, loneliness doesn’t come from being cut off, but from what happens when connection doesn’t fully take shape.
Perhaps the next step isn’t finding more ways to communicate, but finding more reasons to be present. Even the smallest moments can become meaningful memories: a conversation before class, a late-night walk with friends, a spontaneous function invite accepted instead of declined or a quick check-in with someone who has been on your mind. These interactions may seem small at the moment, but they are often the building blocks of relationships we value most. Loneliness may be common, but it doesn’t have to be permanent.
Header Image by Alex Carrasquillo
Be First to Comment