The dust over the 2024 presidential election has begun to settle. The country has had some time to digest. Journalists, politicians and political analysts alike have proposed competing explanations for why Democrats suffered such a humiliating defeat.
Bernie Sanders claimed Democrats have lost their way by abandoning working-class voters. California Rep. Ro Khanna criticized Kamala Harris’ pop culture campaign strategy. “We spent a billion dollars having concerts all over America. I mean, it was ridiculous,” Khanna said.
These critiques of the failed Democratic campaign are completely correct. This said, there is another, mostly overlooked contributor to this loss — the ongoing loneliness epidemic. Americans are socially disconnected on a massive scale. As a result, trust in American institutions and each other has eroded.
Unless the loneliness epidemic is properly addressed, fascistic ideas and politicians will continue to thrive in this country.
A Fractured Society
Loneliness has been on the rise for decades. Robert Putnam wrote the book “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community” in 2000. It received national attention for its research indicating Americans were decreasing their social participation, as seen in drastically lowered attendance of social clubs and community organizations.
This trend has rapidly accelerated in recent years. The obvious culprit for this effect is Covid-19. One study found that social networks decreased in size by an average of 16% from June 2019 to June 2020.
In a post-pandemic society, we have found the habits of isolation and screen addiction hard to shake. Since 2020, the average screen time for American adults increased by over 60%. A 2021 Pew Research report found 44% of 18-49-year-olds said they are online “almost constantly.” Time spent at home was already increasing before the pandemic. Now, young people are spending a full two hours more per day at home than they were a few decades ago.
The loneliness Putnam observed was largely driven by television. Now, the problem has gotten exponentially worse. Addictive social media algorithms deliver tailored content to users, constantly adjusting to user tastes.
The Facebook Papers in 2021 revealed the truly sinister nature of these algorithms. Facebook’s algorithm disproportionately promotes posts stoking anger, even though employees voiced concerns about the effect on democracy. Facebook higher-ups knew algorithms were pushing extremely harmful content to vulnerable users, such as Instagram knowingly promoting eating disorder content to teenage girls. Clearly, these people do not have society’s best interest in mind.
Social media algorithms are designed to keep people using the sites for as long as possible, no matter what. This is how companies generate ever-increasing profits. As more and more of peoples’ free time is absorbed by screens, our entire society suffers the consequences.
Loneliness and Fascism
In 1951, German philosopher Hannah Arendt wrote “The Origins of Totalitarianism.” She argued that widespread loneliness led people to seek extreme political movements to find a sense of belonging. Essentially, extremism takes root in societies that have lost a sense of basic mutuality and trust.
As much as some attempt to launder him, Trump is precisely this kind of extremist. He has spread malicious and false rumors about immigrants, said he wouldn’t mind if the press was shot at and suggested turning the military against his political opponents. And he helped spark the violent Jan. 6 insurrection.
Trump is not an anomaly, as many in 2016 hoped. He is the first Republican presidential candidate to win the popular vote in 20 years. Trump has won the hearts and minds of most of the American public.
This was partially because of economic frustration and concerns about the Southern border. It was truly made possible, however, by a society that has lost its bonds to one another.
Trust in American institutions is at historic lows. As Americans have stopped feeling like they know each other, they have stopped feeling like they know their institutions. This lays the groundwork for an “outsider” candidate like Trump to have such massive, cult-like appeal.
Where Do We Go From Here?
As a people, it is imperative to reject the sinister technologies eating away at our society. Companies like Meta are facing legal resistance, including lawsuits filed by parents who have lost children to suicide.
In the meantime, it is the users’ responsibility to make themselves and others aware of the dangers current technologies pose to broader society. Resources are available for combatting screen addiction. Change starts with acknowledgement.
More than anything, we must prioritize each other. Our only way out of this requires socialization, even when one doesn’t feel like it. It will require kindness toward strangers, offering help in one’s neighborhood and active, all-consuming effort to build community bonds back up. It will require love, care and serious reflection on how isolated we have become.
As always, the personal is political. Look out for one another. The country depends on it.
