Loneliness went public: startups cash in on human connection

Vox maps the rise of the loneliness economy, where startups and investors are turning social isolation into a market—from AI matching apps to paid camps, coaching, and pendant gadgets—while researchers like Holt-Lunstad and Hertz caution that monetizing human connection often yields superficial, expensive solutions that exclude low-income people. The piece argues that true social health requires slower, inclusive community-building and public investment in spaces, not market-based fixes.