Ah, look at all the lonely people.
Today's signal looks at how the commercial cuddling industry has come to South Africa. (Yes, I'm back on the commoditisation of care train, no commercial cuddling services are not sex work.) It reminds me how - even before COVID turned us all into forced recluses Pew reproach found 1 in 4 young adults in the WEIRD world had no, none, zero, friends; and how despite the fact that we are more connected - and exposed - digitally, but more physically isolated than ever.
Anyway, over this long weekend of celebration and family for many religious groups, let's take a moment to reflect on the value of real connections - warm bodies - and those who are willing to pay just for a purely platonic touch.
How do you feel about paying for love, touch and friendship?
What does our oh-so-tempting virtualised, AI automatically generated everything future tell us about the traction of this trend towards isolation and away from human touch?
Let me know. And, as always, only connect.
Read more:
Become a professional platonic cuddler (no funny business): https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/lifestyle/2023-04-04-lift-hundreds-apply-to-be-a-pro-cuddler-heres-what-it-is-and-how-much-it-pays/
Naked and alone : https://whatthefuturenow.com/2021/07/23/naked-and-alone/
The canary in the coal mine - AI, the future and you : https://danfaggella.com/japan/
The Hikikomori and more : https://whatthefuturenow.com/2023/01/13/connecting-the-dissapeared/
Skin hunger : https://www.wired.co.uk/article/skin-hunger-coronavirus-human-touch
No friends (even before lockdown) : https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/8/1/20750047/millennials-poll-loneliness
Ah, look at all the lonely people