The century of solitude

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic forced people to socially distance, loneliness was already establishing itself as a defining condition of the 21st century. It's time to reconnect.

Community bonds are unraveling, threatening our personal relationships. The culprits include technology, the dismantling of civic institutions, the radical reorganization of the workplace, mass migration, and decades of neoliberal policies that have placed self-interest above the collective good.

The century of loneliness is not just about the emotional pain we call loneliness; it is, above all, about the fragmentation of community. Noreena Hertz combines a decade of research with reporting that demonstrates how loneliness, reshaped by globalization, urbanization, growing inequalities and power disparities, the technological revolution, and most recently the coronavirus, undermines our health, quality of life, and happiness, even threatening democracy.

With that in mind, ask yourself: when was the last time you felt disconnected from the people around you? When was the last time you felt abandoned by the politicians you elected, or felt like no authority figure cared about your struggles? When was the last time you felt powerless or invisible at work? Know that you are not alone.

Given that the way we live now is profoundly atomized, making many of the casual and deeper human connections that used to be common increasingly scarce, The Century of Loneliness offers bold solutions, ranging from a new conception and different uses of artificial intelligence to innovative models of urban living and other ways to reinvigorate the city we inhabit and reconcile our differences. It thus presents a hopeful and empowering vision of how to heal our fractured communities and restore connection to our lives.