Paisley spends most mornings alone. Twenty-three years old, he lives in Manchester and often works from home. The apartment is quiet, except for the sound of his mobile phone vibrating on the desk. For a long time, when he felt lonely, he did not turn to a friend – he opened ChatGPT. “When you feel lonely and you don’t really have someone to talk to, what do you do?” he wonders. “I ended up with the easy solution and used ChatGPT. At one point I was talking to the AI (artificial intelligence) six, seven, eight times a day about my problems.”
Paisley’s story is one of the most striking moments of “Generation Lonely,” a new British documentary directed and produced by 22-year-old Sam Tallen, presented by Tegan Marlow. The film explores how young people manage friendship, isolation, and social life in the world after the coronavirus pandemic – a world where connection is everywhere, but often feels out of reach.
Loneliness constitutes one of the greatest challenges for young people internationally. Generation Z – those born between 1997 and 2012 – is considered the loneliest generation, despite being the most digitally connected in history. “I wanted to explore the Gen Z loneliness crisis in a documentary when I realized how big an issue it is,” Tallen tells To Vima. “My personal experience certainly played a role.”
“I was in college during the pandemic and my first job was also remote, so that affected my social life. COVID was definitely the catalyst for Gen Z’s loneliness crisis and it was important to capture that in the film.” “For many in Gen Z, adulthood began in the middle of the pandemic, when everything suddenly became online,” Tegan adds.
“I couldn’t escape”
Paisley did not go to university – and found himself without the ready-made social networks that many young people rely on. “When you’re in school, you have to make friends,” he says. “When you go to university, you have to make friends, because you socialize. But I didn’t go to university.” Instead, he entered the workforce straight away – often remotely – and found himself increasingly isolated. “In a way, I lost the ability to converse,” he admits.
The loneliness intensified during the lockdowns. “For about three years, I just felt lost,” Paisley says. “I was depressed, but I couldn’t understand why.” That’s when AI intervened. “I couldn’t escape. And then I realized: I’m talking to a robot about human emotions. Does that make sense?” Asked whether AI felt like a friend, he answers: “I’m ashamed to say it, but yes.” Tallen was not surprised. “Paisley’s admission did not surprise me,” he explains. “I spoke with many young people and almost all of them said they had daily conversations with AI or asked ChatGPT for help in some way.”
The limits of technology
AI did not offer real relief. “My problems didn’t disappear,” Paisley says. “I hoped it would just become my friend.” For Tallen, “this is proof that technology cannot relate to people on a personal level. Technology like AI does not understand human connection and I don’t think it ever will.” He nevertheless acknowledges why young people turn to it. “It’s not healthy, but as a short-term solution it can be helpful.”
AI is not unfamiliar territory for Tallen. His previous documentary, titled The AI Face Trade, examined people who sell their image to artificial intelligence. “AI is now embedded in the everyday lives of millions of people,” he says. “And I don’t think people realize how big a role it plays in our lives.”
Beyond the screens, Generation Lonely also examines what is happening in physical social spaces. In Manchester, Tegan visits a BYOB club (a venue where patrons can bring their own drink) to investigate the decline of club culture. “If it continues like this, then we will lose all the clubs by 2030,” says Chris, the venue’s owner. Rising costs, changes in alcohol consumption habits, and post-pandemic behaviors have played a role. “A generation that spent two years in isolation has gotten used to being alone.”
Tallen considers the shift worrying, but not irreversible. “We run the risk of losing physical social spaces like nightclubs, but they have not been lost yet, which is hopeful.”
Finding new ways
The documentary also explores the phenomenon of the rise of online communities that organize real-life meetups. Juliet runs a group in Manchester with more than 600 members, which she started after struggling with isolation herself. “I moved to Manchester on my own. And I thought: how can I make friends?” she says.
From walks and coffee meetups to crafts, the group’s events offer “low-pressure” ways for members to connect. Anxiety, however, is common. “There are always people who don’t show up or cancel because they’re anxious,” Juliet says. Nevertheless, the results matter. “People have told me they met someone at an event and now they are truly friends,” she adds.
As a shared experience
“I hope the film starts an honest conversation about loneliness as a shared experience and not as a personal ‘failure,’” Tallen says. He did not want to create a bleak documentary. “It’s important for viewers to realize that beyond the difficulties there are ways to meet new people and develop a social life. I hope young people will relate and understand that they are not alone.”
Paisley would agree. He has found a community – not through AI, but through people who responded. In a generation often portrayed as isolated, Generation Lonely sends a hopeful message: beneath the silence, many are still reaching out their hand – waiting for someone to answer.
