SXSW 2020: The Antidote to Loneliness
The coronavirus pandemic and resulting social isolation have quickly turned a hyper-connected world into one that feels lonely and detached. Strong evidence already shows loneliness has a toxic effect on our health and happiness. How will quarantine impact our mental and physical health? Can it perhaps lead to more empathy and awareness of isolation? This panel will discuss how changes in society have accelerated social isolation and loneliness (hint: it’s not just technology) and, in light of wide-scale shelter-in-place orders, examine strategies that promote meaningful connections during an uncertain time. While IRL interaction can’t be replaced, how can we use this unprecedented moment to better understand new ways to reach out, and better understand how more connection improves our collective health?