This is Contagious

The Loneliness Disconnect: how big tech made us lonely and how brands are responding

Episode Summary

AI companions. Lonely cities. Yakult Ladies. In this episode, Contagious investigates the rise of loneliness and why brands as diverse as Heineken and Games Workshop are winning by becoming the new facilitators of human connection. Along the way, we explore lonelygenic cities, discover what brands can learn from 19th Century Parisian architecture, asking whether boyfriends are embarrassing and whether we’re trapped in the Me Operating System.

Episode Notes

AI companions. Lonely cities. Yakult Ladies. 

In this episode, Contagious investigates the rise of loneliness and why brands as diverse as Heineken and Games Workshop are winning by becoming the new facilitators of human connection. 

Along the way, we explore lonelygenic cities, discover what brands can learn from 19th Century Parisian architecture, asking whether boyfriends are embarrassing and whether we’re trapped in the Me Operating System.

We’ll explain:

• Why the real world is becoming a brand's biggest advantage
• How cities and environments shape social behaviour
• The real reason teenagers are using AI companions
• What’s fuelling the social skills apocalypse
• The hidden health impact of loneliness
• Why technology creates the illusion but not the value of connection
• Why Taylor Swift has done more for social cohesion than Mark Zuckerberg