The COVID-19 pandemic forced us to rethink & reevaluate the notion of social interaction. Traditionally, social interactions were largely limited to those in society that we physically had access to but with forced lockdowns and artificial inaccessibility in place, people found themselves interacting in societies that were either partially or fully digital. While these digital societies serve some of the core benefits of social interactions in the physical world, such as the opportunities to exchange ideas, spaces to create a sense of belonging, and finding like-minded people, they also induce isolation and augment feelings of disconnection with those in our vicinity deeming the value of physical proximity worthless.

What happens where we interact more often with an anonymous account on Discord than we do with our neighbor?

What happens when we only have to leave my apartment to avail a service or do a task that is yet to be disrupted by technology?

What are the long-term consequences of tech-induced isolation on our society? How does it impact the aforementioned purpose of the city to promote purpose predictability?

How does it impact the collective pursuits that make cities what they are?

While I have more questions than answers today, it is a no-brainer that the tech induced predictability that has enabled us to live in isolation and is already negatively impacting the overall strength of social interactions in cities where the has the speed of one’s internet connection is a better predictor of the success of a social interaction than one’s ability to be empathic to those who live around them.