The Curative Power of Blaming the Individual
What's actually happening: The Independent, among others, is citing a study claiming college students spending just two hours a day on social media are more prone to loneliness. The article suggests that logging too many hours on platforms like TikTok or Instagram is the culprit, implying a simple behavioral fix for a complex societal ill. This narrative, however, conveniently sidesteps the
colossal elephant in the digital room. Mainstream media rarely connects the dots between a generation burdened by unprecedented student loan debt – now totaling over $1.7 trillion in the US – and the resulting economic precarity that isolates individuals. In 1970, average tuition at a four-year public university was $335; today it's well over $10,000, adjusted for inflation. When young adults are
spending their formative years scrambling for financial survival, working multiple jobs, and facing a housing crisis, genuine community building often takes a back seat. Compare this to the widespread societal anxiety of the 1950s, when a burgeoning middle class allowed for a degree of social cohesion that is now a distant memory. Instead of probing the structural issues like hyper-competitive job
markets or crushing cost-of-living increases that erode social fabric, we're fed the familiar tale of individual failing. One might wonder why the focus consistently lands on personal choices rather than the systemic divestment from public goods and community infrastructure. It’s a classic deflection, reminiscent of blaming factory workers for poor health rather than investigating the abysmal