I grew up in the 90s in a small rural town. We didn't have cable or a tv and I remember we did more hands on things. Played more board games, read books, draw, played basketball or ran, or just went over to a friend or family members house. If I said I was bored then my parents would say "well then you're boring, find something to do"

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Perhaps but you also have to consider that people used to live in multigenerational households. People had whole families living in one home. And when children got married they would live with their parents. Have lots of children and they would take care of their parents. They would eventually divide the land and build their own houses. Whole families living there. This was normal before the pre-industrial family life cycle in the 19th century. "After WW2, the popularity of multi-generational living reached its lowest historical levels and resulted in the creation of some of today's norms. The causes for this decrease include the increasing popularity of the automobile..." One could say the push for individualism and the popularity of the automobile helped lead to loneliness. Cultural trends pushed the average age of young adults leaving home consistently down throughout the middle of the 20th century. These trends continued through 1980 when only 12% of the US population lived in a multigenerational household, the lowest in history. It's funny to consider that children living their whole adult lives with their parents used to be the norm.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

I actually kind of doubt it. The key to combating loneliness is keeping yourself busy so you don't have time to think about it. Or ya'know, getting some company. The problem with TV is that it occupies the mind while spamming you with reminders of your loneliness.

by Anonymous 1 year ago