There are more than 7.5 million people in the Bay Area, yet our lives have become so siloed. Work and the cost of living take up so much of our time and energy. There’s less left for family and friends, and our screens take most of what remains. We’re more anxious and isolated, and less willing to hear each other out.
In the Corner is about the people who shape us, the things we carry with us, and the ways we show up for one another. We share this little corner of the world, and it’d be nice to learn a little about the people we share it with.
of Gen Z feel they’re missing in-person experiences older generations had
of adults are online almost constantly, twice as many as in 2015
have turned down a social event in the past two years because of the cost
feel isolated at least some of the time
of Bay Area households can’t afford a median-priced home
blame loneliness on a society that’s too individualistic
blame loneliness on people being too busy, tired or overworked
of adults under 30 talk with a neighbor a few times a week or more, down from 51% in 2012
of Gen Z say young people lack confidence meeting new people, vs. 45% of boomers
I moved here not knowing anyone. Some people I met along the way brought me into their circles, and from there I built my own. These days, I’m usually the one introducing people.
I got lucky. It isn’t easy to be pulled in, and it’s gotten harder to build community. The places people used to just run into each other are disappearing, and everything else costs money or needs a plan. We stay in our bubbles, and saying hi to a stranger has become rare.
I think with how busy our lives are, we, intentionally or not, see anyone outside our own circle as background characters. And the less we see each other, the easier it is to stop caring.
So I wanted to ask what’s happening in your corner.
— x
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In the Corner X: are we running out of room for each other?
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