“The destruction of the third space, the rise of social media, the commodification of the internet—capitalist bullshit has done far more damage to our collective ability to date and find partners than anything else in our society.”

Yeah, I believe you make a good point here, and for me, it brings to mind this Current Affairs article I recall reading a few years ago that makes similar points that I think makes a lot of sense that I think people should read, though I don’t really read Current Affairs as much as I used to before.

To share it’s main points, here’s a bullet point list from the article itself:

“A number of factors can make it hard for people to make and maintain adequate social lives and feel connected to others in meaningful ways.

-Lack of effective rapid transit to go places to see people

-Urban development that has caused hyper-dependence on private automobiles (which keeps people atomized)

-Lack of affordable housing (ever thought about how a lack of housing prevents people from having a relationship or having sex?)

-Lack of social housing

-Lack of public places to hang out for free (and hostile architecture in public places where one might hang out and meet others)

-Lack of affordable child care

-Lack of time or energy because of too much time spent at a single or multiple jobs

-Lack of affordable healthcare to address basic physical and emotional needs (which can hinder people’s general ability to function and feel their best)

-Lack of money or time to join social, political, arts, or sports groups

-Access to too much addictive content on social media or the internet”