Department of Communication Studies, Faculty of Business and Communication Studies, Information Design, Mount Royal University, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Front Public Health. 2024 Oct 22;12:1389099. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1389099. eCollection 2024.
This perspective piece considers loneliness and its relationship to communication, connection, and technology by reviewing the origins and lessons from the field. It begins with a search for an operational definition, then examines the differences between experiential (situational/isolation-based) and existential (continuous, non-situational) loneliness. Technology is addressed as both a hindrance and a tool for alleviating loneliness with the example of companion robots as an emerging technology for loneliness mitigation. Cultural differences in experiences of loneliness, specifically as a public health issue, are in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Concepts of social and emotional loneliness, individualism and collectivism, socioeconomic status, vulnerability, and lived experience are explored and provide an emphasis on 'meaningful connection' in the study of loneliness.
这篇观点文章通过回顾该领域的起源和经验，探讨了孤独及其与沟通、联系和技术的关系。文章首先寻找一个可操作的定义，然后考察体验性（基于情境/隔离）和存在性（持续的、非情境性）孤独之间的区别。文章以伴侣机器人作为缓解孤独的新兴技术为例，探讨了技术作为缓解孤独的障碍和工具。在加拿大 COVID-19 大流行的背景下，探讨了孤独感的文化差异，特别是作为公共卫生问题的孤独感。文章还探讨了社会和情感孤独、个人主义和集体主义、社会经济地位、脆弱性和生活经历等概念，并强调了在孤独感研究中“有意义的联系”。
