Okay, listen. I don’t know where are your friends and why are you alone with your phone in hand, but you got to stop this nonsense of your social life, ASAP. You have changed. People, society has changed. Loneliness has became your way of living. And if you haven't noticed it yet, congratulations — you're either blissfully unaware or part of the problem.
Let me know in the comments below (assuming you're still capable of human interaction and haven’t completely merged with your iPhone) if you’ve also noticed that, somewhere in the last five years, life on Earth changed drastically.
I used to enjoy being around people — you know, back when “Hi, how are you?” didn’t sound like a hostage negotiation. Now, every social interaction requires a special effort. People are robotic, emotionless, self-centered and weirdly unapproachable. Any attempt for a small talk brings expressions of blank stare.
There was a time when you could walk into a bar, hear a bad cover of “Sweet Caroline,” and share a cheap beer with a stranger who might become your best friend or your worst decision.
Now? Bars are closing down. Here on Toronto, West Bloor village, there are 3 bars, restaurants, and by 9pm on Friday or Saturday nights there are empty.
Every day feels like I’m waking up in a different version of stranger reality. Remember that feeling of going outside and people talking to each other? Yeah. Me neither. It's like someone hit the “reset” button on society and now we’re all zombies.
There’s a tiny voice in the back of my head whispering, “Maybe this is the Mandela Effect or maybe I just need more walk and less phone.” But I remember a version of reality where neighbors actually said hi, people spoke to cashiers instead of silently tapping a screen, approaching someone in public didn’t automatically get you labeled as a potential threat or an intruder.
2020 broke us. Mentally. Spiritually. Socially. I learned a lot that year: people care a way too much for their own ass than for others, they will turn in their grandma if she walks her dog without a QR code. Most importantly I learned that people apparently prefer isolation to interaction. Who knew?
And honestly? Some folks never left lockdown — at least mentally. Their body is in the grocery store, but their soul is still scrolling through endless reels.
Let’s talk about the phone in your hand. You know, the one you cradle like a newborn and check 67 times an hour. Yeah, that thing is replacing the social life. Why talk to people when you can post a sad meme, get 34 likes, and feel validated for 30 seconds?
We now have fake friends on our phones, fake arguments in our comment sections, fake lives we post for others to be fake jealous of. Meanwhile, real life is just sitting in the corner like, “Hey, remember me? Eye contact? Handshakes? No? Okay.” Society is devolving and we're applauding
We’re not just disconnected — we’re actively devolving. Not slowly but rapidly. We’ve traded concrete experience for imagination, and now we’re somehow lonely altogether. It's honestly impressive. We have collectively decided to just... not speak. Relationships are now suspicious at best and destroyable at worst. Approach someone in public respectfully? Congratulations, you’re now an officially crazy alpha male.
And now? AI is here. Yep. Artificial Intelligence. The final judgement. And not the cool kind from sci-fi movies. It is like - let’s automate everything and remove the last shred of humanity.
Every night I watch YouTube videos about different topics, from politics, economics, philosophy etc.. I noticed, my mind has started spinning, I am unable to think anymore. Everything is so messy, a lot of opinions, half-knowledge and deliberate lies are woven into all things we read and watch. 60% of those YouTube videos are AI generated.
People say that AI will take a world. That is a stupidity. AI is dead, non-conscious, enormous database of not-essential data. As a software engineer I know how AI is created and how it works. ChatGPT does not think, it gives you back information based on data it has. It operates on programed algorithms. Corporations hungry for profits put money into AI expecting a great returns but this AI revolution will end just like ".com" bubble.
Look, I may sound like I’m writing this blog on the air (and maybe I am). Just few people read my kind of bullshit here. I must tell you I’m not optimist. This world does not end with us, it will continue by much less of human emotional attachments. New robotic humanity will take over and we, the old generations, will vanish.
Until then, I will go outside, touch grass, breathe air and speak to people. I will talk to my neighbor, even if I look strangely to them. I am going to put my phone down long enough to remember what eye contact feels like. And for the love of all things old, I will be weird, be awkward. I will be human to my last breath. That’s the whole point. Because if I don't act like a human, I might as well be a robot-like creature without soul.
It’s your turn — have you felt the shift? Do you see a robotic behavior in yourself? Write a comment, show me that I am not just one sarcastic old soul yelling at holograms in this cyberpunk simulation we call life.
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This hit hard. I’ve felt the shift too — conversations feel forced, eye contact is rare, and people seem lost in their phones, their routines, their own bubbles. Empathy is fading, and everyone’s retreating into their shells.
ReplyDeleteMiddle generations seem the most lost — stuck between the world we knew and this hyper-digital blur. Maybe younger folks will adapt, but for those of us who grew up with real human connection and genuine friendships, these changes hurt more.
Thanks for writing this. You’re not alone — some of us are still out here, awkwardly trying to stay human.
Yes, I think the generation Z will be ok. ;) Thank you so much.
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