Loneliness & Social Isolation
How hyperconnectivity can coexist with profound disconnection — and what the evidence says about digital loneliness.
In the archiveUnderstanding digital life
We translate emerging research into accessible public health knowledge — documenting how digital environments reshape identity, connection, and wellbeing.
Our approach
- Evidence-based — grounded in peer-reviewed science
- Public health focused — oriented toward collective wellbeing
- Research translation — curious inquiry, not advocacy theater
Research Topics
A living archive of the questions we study — each topic a folder in an ongoing investigation into how digital life shapes human health.
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Digital Identity & The Third Self
The persona we perform online — distinct from who we are in private or in person.
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Masculinity in the Digital Age
How online spaces shape, constrain, and redefine masculine identity and mental health.
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Dating Apps & Relationships
The psychology of swipe culture, attachment, and intimacy in algorithm-mediated romance.
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Pornography & Intimacy
Evidence on consumption patterns, relationships, and the gap between myth and measured effect.
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AI Companions
When machines simulate friendship — attachment, dependency, and the ethics of synthetic care.
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Social Media
Platform design, social comparison, and the documented mental health effects of feed-based life.
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Algorithms & Behavior
How recommendation systems shape attention, belief, and behavior at population scale.
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Online Communities
Subcultures, support networks, and the health outcomes of belonging in digital spaces.
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Digital Wellbeing
Screen time, sleep, attention — separating evidence from the wellness-industrial complex.
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Internet Culture
Memes, norms, and the rapid evolution of shared meaning in networked publics.
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Public Health & Technology
Building a field that treats digital environments as legitimate sites of health intervention.
In the archive
Featured Research
The loneliness paradox
More connected than ever — and lonelier than we admit. A synthesis of longitudinal studies on social isolation in the age of constant contact, and what public health can learn from the data.
Read the full study →Latest Research
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Identity
Performing the self: avatars, pseudonyms, and psychological distance
How curated online personas affect self-concept, authenticity, and the boundary between public and private identity.
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Technology
Algorithmic amplification and adolescent anxiety: a meta-analysis
Synthesizing 47 studies on recommendation systems and youth mental health outcomes across platforms.
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Relationships
Swipe fatigue: attachment styles in dating app culture
Evidence linking infinite-choice interfaces to decision paralysis, ghosting norms, and insecure attachment patterns.
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Community
Finding belonging: health outcomes in moderated online support groups
When anonymous forums become lifelines — and the conditions that make peer support durable rather than harmful.
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Public Health
Digital public health: a framework for the next decade
Proposing institutional structures, research priorities, and policy levers for treating the internet as a health environment.
Research Categories
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Identity
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Relationships
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Community
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Technology
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Public Health
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Selection
We prioritize peer-reviewed studies, systematic reviews, and pre-registered research from established journals. Gray literature and preprints are included only when clearly labeled and contextually framed.
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Evaluation
Every claim is assessed for sample quality, effect size, replication status, and conflicts of interest. We report uncertainty — not false precision.
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Translation
Findings are rewritten for public comprehension without sacrificing accuracy. We cite sources, distinguish correlation from causation, and avoid sensationalism.
References
- Holt-Lunstad, J., et al. (2015). Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(2), 227–237.
- Twenge, J. M., et al. (2018). Increases in depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates among U.S. adolescents after 2010. Clinical Psychological Science, 6(1), 3–17.
- Turkle, S. (2011). Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. Basic Books.
- Orben, A., & Przybylski, A. K. (2019). The association between adolescent well-being and digital technology use. Nature Human Behaviour, 3, 173–182.
- Valkenburg, P. M., et al. (2022). Social media and youth mental health. Current Opinion in Psychology, 44, 58–68.
Full bibliographies accompany each published article. This selection represents foundational sources across our research areas — not an exhaustive list.