Loneliness in Germany: digital solutions for networked neighbors!

Loneliness in Germany: digital solutions for networked neighbors!

In Germany, every sixth person feels lonely and digitization makes a significant contribution to this development. According to a current study, only about 6% of Germans lived alone in 1950, while this proportion rose to over 20% by 2022. Loneliness is more pronounced in large cities and older people. Anonymity in urban habitats reinforces this feeling. The platform SR reports that social media and neighborhood apps offer a way to establish new contacts and maintain existing relationships. The use of such apps, such as Nextan.de, is becoming increasingly important.

Nextan.de is the largest neighborhood network in Germany and aims to combine people digitally and in real life. The use of the platform is particularly high in cities such as Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt and Cologne. The number of users also grows in Saarland, where numerous people are registered. Stefan Fröhlich, a resident from Saarbrücken, uses the platform to actively use or give away tools and objects.

regional differences in use

The spread of neighborhood apps such as Nextan.de shows significant differences depending on the district. In Saarland, the number of users are distributed as follows:

• st. Arnual: 900 users
• Mainzer Strasse: 950 users
• Merzig-Brotdorf: 10 users
• Hassel near St. Ingbert: 30 users

This clarifies that access to digital communication means can vary greatly, which is also related to the social environment of the users. The use of social media has increased since pandemic, and over three quarters of the population regularly interacts through these platforms.

loneliness and digitization

Digital change has fundamentally changed the way people communicate. Online purchases and digital courses are now everyday life. According to Barmer the loneliness rate increased during the corona pandemic. In 2020, 14% of the 46- to 90-year-olds felt lonely, compared to 9% in 2014 and 2017. However, digitization can also help reduce loneliness by facilitating access to social contacts.

older people are increasingly using the Internet, and in 2021 the age group of over-60-year-olds was one of the largest groups of new users. Nevertheless, there are concerns that the increased use of digital communication also has challenges, including haptic loneliness due to the lack of physical contacts and the phenomenon of "ghosting".

strategies against loneliness

To counteract loneliness, there are different starting points. Among other things, the Barmer recommends:

• an inventory of important contacts and their care.
• a balance between online and personal meetings.
• participation in recreational courses to contact like -minded.
• The strengthening of media literacy through appropriate training offers.
• a common movement to promote well -being.

Overall, the development shows that while digitization has the potential to reduce loneliness, it also brings new challenges that need to be mastered.