>"Loneliness is a psychological problem masquerading as a social one."

Its fascinating that you you have chosen to state this as fact without any supporting data.

>"Loneliness is a self-inflicted problem."

Again based on what, just because you say so?

There's an excellent book called "Bowling Alone" that came out in 2000 long before social media. The book traces a phenomenon of declining "social capital" that began in post war boom. Social media and the large scale replacing of real interaction with those conducted by phone has only exacerbated this. There plenty of real data in the book and the author conducted half a million interviews over 25 years.

See:

http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/p/putnam-alone.html

>Look, there are people all around us. Neighborhood streets have, what, 50 people on them? People congregate at churches, bars, coffee shops, even Wal-Marts.

There is big difference between being alone and "feeling alone." Going to Wall Mart or coffee shops solves the problem of the former. This "being alone" however is generally not the one psychologists are referring to when they talk about the modern phenomenon of "chronic loneliness."

Of hose 50 people on the street you refer to, how many of those people have ear buds in and are/or are staring at, typing on or talking on phone as they walk? How many are cognizant of those around them? Most of them wouldn't hear you even if you did try talk to them.

Spend just 5 minutes walking anywhere Manhattan and it is quite apparent. Walk into a bar and most everyone waiting for their friend is staring at or typing into their smart phone. Their maybe 50 people around on the street but most of them are in their own private bubble.

The Atlantic recently had an interview with John Cacioppo who is something of an expert on the subject. He sites both cultural and environmental reasons for an uptick in loneliness. See:

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/04/how-lonel...