A ‘stranger’ is really just someone we haven’t connected with yet.  

Unlike many other illnesses, what I find profoundly empowering about addressing loneliness is that the ultimate solution to loneliness lies in each of us. We can be the medicine that each other needs. We can be the solution other people crave. We are all doctors and we are all healers. 

Most of us are interacting with lonely people all the time, even if we don’t realise it. The issue of loneliness should be made a national priority recognising the profound impact it has on us as individuals and as a society. While loneliness has the potential to kill, connection has even more potential to heal. We need to more deeply appreciate the relationship between loneliness, social connection, and physical and emotional health. We as humans yearn to be seen, heard, felt and connected with. 

In my animation, to the transcript “Act Together” by Vivek Murthy, I aim to capture the attention of the viewer from the beginning with a sense of familiarity of going from device to device searching for connection or distraction from problems that arise in the world. In my research I found when people see things they relate to, they connect easier and messages are received more clear, therefore I aim to capture this even more by using first person point of view in my animation. By bringing the viewer on a journey of going through their laptop and mobile phone in search of connection, then finally connecting with people in reality, along with the words of Murthy, I hope the message that turning to social media for connection is not the easy route and is in fact very much an obstacle for real connection.