Over half of Americans feel cut off from society, FT data shows amid AI connection debate
annetgriffin · x · 2026-11-09
Citing the FT piece "America is craving a return to community," annetgriffin highlights that over half of Americans report feeling cut off from society and nearly two-thirds call societal division a significant stress source. In a 2023 Pew survey of 24 nations, Americans ranked last on feeling close to fellow citizens and second-to-last on local community; a UK study found half of Brits feel similarly disconnected.
She argues people deeply need meaningful connection — which explains the visceral backlash against bot-driven fake engagement: we sneer at being tricked into thinking a real human is on the other end.
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