Sam Page
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Pure digital connection doesn't deliver what people need.

People and behaviour2 min readSam Page

The result is rising loneliness :(
We have to fix it! But how?

I was struggling to sleep last night, and ended up stumbling across this new article from the BBC (link in comments).

33% of 16 to 29 year-olds feel lonely often or always.
That is a third of young people.

The assumption is often that it's elderly people who are more lonely.
But this turns that narrative on it's head.

I've spent 16 years building 7DOTS, and I've loved technology since a young age.

I love how it can solve problems and bring ideas to life.
How it can have a positive impact on peoples lives.

But I also can't ignore the truth. Technology is getting in the way of social connection. And in it's worst form, it can drive us apart.

Yet we are social creatures, designed to be together in-person.

For me technology was a saviour, but it feels like for many people it has become a trap... (me included at times).

Technology should serve people, not the other way round.

This article has inspired me to ensure in 2026, I'm doing two things:

  1. Ensure my work has a positive impact on people and brings value to their lives. That the digital journeys we create at 7DOTS are human-first.

  2. That I make a greater positive contribution to reducing loneliness in society. I've got a few ideas bubbling... more to follow on this in the New Year.

Finally, if you feel lonely (or even if you don't) and live in the London area, I will be at Brewdog in Waterloo tonight from 6pm with a gaggle of people. Please feel free to come along and say hi... first drink (no pressure for it to be alcoholic) is on me if that helps.

First published on LinkedIn.

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GEThttps://sam-page.com/thinking/pure-digital-connection-doesnt-deliver-what-people-need.mdtext/markdown; charset=utf-8

---
title: "Pure digital connection doesn't deliver what people need."
url: https://sam-page.com/thinking/pure-digital-connection-doesnt-deliver-what-people-need
date: 2025-12-18
author: Sam Page
type: Post or article
categories: [People and behaviour]
reading_time: 2 min
summary: "The result is rising loneliness :( We have to fix it! But how?"
first_published: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn%3Ali%3Ashare%3A7407333035135639556
---

# Pure digital connection doesn't deliver what people need.

The result is rising loneliness :(  
We have to fix it! But how?

![](https://sam-page.com/img/thinking/pure-digital-connection-doesnt-deliver-what-people-need-li1.webp)

I was struggling to sleep last night, and ended up stumbling across this new article from the BBC (link in comments).

33% of 16 to 29 year-olds feel lonely often or always.  
That is a third of young people.

The assumption is often that it's elderly people who are more lonely.  
But this turns that narrative on it's head.

I've spent 16 years building 7DOTS, and I've loved technology since a young age.

I love how it can solve problems and bring ideas to life.  
How it can have a positive impact on peoples lives.

But I also can't ignore the truth. Technology is getting in the way of social connection. And in it's worst form, it can drive us apart.

Yet we are social creatures, designed to be together in-person.

For me technology was a saviour, but it feels like for many people it has become a trap... (me included at times).

Technology should serve people, not the other way round.

This article has inspired me to ensure in 2026, I'm doing two things:

1. Ensure my work has a positive impact on people and brings value to their lives. That the digital journeys we create at 7DOTS are human-first.

2. That I make a greater positive contribution to reducing loneliness in society. I've got a few ideas bubbling... more to follow on this in the New Year.

Finally, if you feel lonely (or even if you don't) and live in the London area, I will be at Brewdog in Waterloo tonight from 6pm with a gaggle of people. Please feel free to come along and say hi... first drink (no pressure for it to be alcoholic) is on me if that helps.