Is that "epidemic" really a thing? Has it been statically and scientifically observed?

Not online.

People, together, doing things, ideally having fun.

Spaces and activities that provide venues for communication, humor, authenticity, play, touch, collaboration.

I think the big solution consists of many small solutions. One problem I identified is that social media platforms (1) decimated local live music events coverage in mid-sized cities and (2) placed live music events into the same "filter bubble" algorithm as everything else, making it difficult for people to discover what is going on nearby.

I started https://musiclocal.org, a 501(c)(3), as a curated live music events platform for my local area (and hopefully others). We list all the live music events in the area, and we optimize the software for usability, performance, SEO, etc. The goal is to make discovering local live music events as easy as doom-scrolling. We have had an outstanding reception in the area we serve. We are not self-sustaining yet, but I am optimistic about our chances. As a non-profit, we do not do any of the dark-pattern garbage that has become omnipresent in social media and other consumer software. We just do the right thing as best we can.

Here is some more background (from our "Issues" page):

At MusicLocal, we focus on the root challenges facing local music communities to address endemic issues of negative social media practices, isolation and community polarization, and economic concentration and monopolization. Specifically:

• We believe convenient, comprehensive live music event listings are critical to reversing the decline in local music journalism. • We believe ethically designed, steward-curated live music event listings provide a vital alternative to addictive social media platforms. • We believe that making live music more visible and accessible encourages in-person interaction, strengthening communities and alleviating loneliness and social isolation. • We believe that local live music listings are a critical component of strong local economies, helping to lessen the negative economic consequences of big tech and music industry monopolies.

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"Technology has a purpose, and that purpose is to do good and to share" --Steve Wozniak

people act as if this is an individualist problem, but that ignores all the facts

the first place to think about serious change is city planning since the invention of cars & then suburbs

we used to be forced to live next to each other, walk and see each other

it turns our car based city planning doesn’t work on any level if you look at cities which didn’t go all in

It’s been ten years, but we ran a dinner group, once a month, and met at various restaurants. Very popular.

You won't be able to until people will develop an appetite.

Build human scale cities with narrow streets and lots of outdoor parks and easily accessible reliable and frequent public transportation.

Not our American excuse for cities ruled by automobiles and asphalt everywhere with very limited options of all of the above.

PS - I imagine I’ll be downvoted because the epidemic is world wide and not unique to the US. That said, our acute situation is unique in that our infrastructure literally steers you into loneliness and no chance of randomly bumping into people and striking conversation.

We need an open-source dating / social platform that isn’t designed to monetise loneliness.

We’ve outsourced forming relationships to profit-driven systems that trade comfort and convenience for reduced real-world social effort. By substituting the need to approach people in person, these platforms quietly erode social confidence and reinforce avoidance, exacerbating the social problems they claim to solve.

Get off social media.. Learn to talk to people.. Making friends requires practise just exercise.

Get a puppy. A puppy will get you moving on walks, empathize, and make you smile.