6 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

How sad... People are often very proud to have so many friends on the social media, and they share everything with them. But this is the proof they are all fake friends, not real, as people have to hire someone only to take pictures or company.. their hundreds of friends can't do that. Before the digital era and the anti-social media we had real friends, people who we have a drink, go out, on holiday, have fun, and good talks....not emoji, and abbreviations..tbh, lol, etc......Loneliness is a real problem nowadays

These people mistake of thinking friends are the same as acquaintances online, they are not. Knowing a lot of people is not the same as friends.

47 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

These people mistake of thinking friends are the same as acquaintances online, they are not. Knowing a lot of people is not the same as friends.

Indeed.... You know your real friends until something terrible happens in your life.... If you than still have 5 friends than you ate very blessed as many will have less

4 hours ago, Cameroni said:

People kiss less, date less, have sex less and go out less. When they do go somewhere therefore they have no friends and have to pay a stranger to pretend.

What a world we have in store.

2 things they do MORE of ( first 2 that came to mind )

Stare at a screen most of the day ....

EAT !

1 minute ago, rumak said:

2 things they do MORE of ( first 2 that came to mind )

Stare at a screen most of the day ....

EAT !

Very true. The watching the screen of course further isolates the person, not just in the physical act of sitting there by him/herself watching the screen, but for example my gf watches TikTok and the algorithm feeds her what she likes already. No opposing views are seen. That is why they find it so hard to accept other points of view now, they look at an echo chamber of their own views directed by an algorithm.

Where will the atomisation of society end? Sleeping pods for one person with video glasses. Will humans change from a social animal into a solitary one?

That is a sad commentary on young people in 2026. No people skills. Heads always buried in their phones.

1 hour ago, Cameroni said:

my gf watches TikTok and the algorithm feeds her what she likes already. No opposing views are seen. That is why they find it so hard to accept other points of view now,

are you still with the same one (phuket girl, think it was?)

well, anyway , i always was "mr cynical" in your eyes , for strongly doubting she was "different" . Of course they, and we , are all different in some ways, but the thai women who grew up in a real Thai environment are 99% programmed differently than Western people.

Some of that is great, of course (when comparing to modern western females) .... but i have had a ton of contacts/relationships with "normal" thai women ...meaning not hi so or growing up overseas. And one thing they ALL have in common is ....they just don't "communicate " (thoughts, feelings) the way i would like to .

Trying to force the issue never works. Accept it..or try again somewhere else. I am not saying that some progress is impossible .

HEY ! maybe i will hire one of those girls to just sit out by a garden somewhere and talk with me ❣️

Just now, rumak said:

are you still with the same one

Yes, for all my sins.

You are certainly right, this girl is one thousand percent different to not just Western girls, but other Thai and Filipina girls I had before. This is the benefit of experience, I guess.

She definitely does not communicate feelings, except to do so negatively. She'd often say "I don't love you". Even wrote it on my Whiteboard. After I refused to answer if I love her.

I have definitely found these Thai girls to be far more obstinate than any other women. But Filipinas are similar. Forcing the issue is rarely crowned with success.

Maybe I'll hire a third girl to join us. She actually suggested I ask my ex to come, I think she has a thing for her.

Addressing loneliness & isolation in old age in the UK has been quite the thing in recent years. Organisations such as the ones below have helped to reduce the amount of old-age suicide in the UK, and the trend is still downwards. I guess in Thailand families help out a lot, which is perhaps where the UK has been going wrong. Maybe the trend in Thailand is going the same way as the UK, hence these service providers have seen an opportunity. Good luck to them, whether there are 'extras' or it's simply companionship.

8 hours ago, Cameroni said:

People kiss less, date less, have sex less and go out less. When they do go somewhere therefore they have no friends and have to pay a stranger to pretend.

What a world we have in store.

Speak for yourself buddy. What a life you must have. 😤

5 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

These people mistake of thinking friends are the same as acquaintances online, they are not. Knowing a lot of people is not the same as friends.

Oh please , your an introvert and that's why you can't meet people instead sitting on this forum day in day out and watching your re-runs please try to get out of that studio

Surely that's not too much to ask surely

Edited Friday at 10:43 AM3 days by georgegeorgia

Post shortening part of the OP, just to suit their reply removed. @wombat

On 9/3/2026 at 8:22 PM, Cameroni said:

A very good point. I always only had one close friend. As a child, as teenager, at Uni, after that your social circle gets bigger, but the close friendship is really only with one person at a time. Indeed, as you pair bond, get married, it is the wife and family that take up your energy, so close friendships after that are rare.

Same. As a teenager and in college, I was always too busy to maintain many close friendships. I also rarely hung out with other females as I had different interests. I always had a lot of acquaintances, but very few friends. This became even more pronounced as I traveled for work to different countries. Even though I was sometimes lonely, I liked my own company and can't imagine hiring someone to go do things with or to take pictures of me. It is a strange world now.

With all this criticism of young people, how is this any different from many of relationships we read about in Thailand?

Some quite obviously have a friend for hire service agreement. An agreement to pay a certain amount each month.

I imagine that many are based on the ability to provide hard cash, rather than a natural affinity.

Same same, not different.

Edited Saturday at 04:37 AM2 days by G-String

1 hour ago, Issan girl said:

It is a strange world now.

It's the same world. I remember the times when people would pretend to talk on their mobile phones so they didn't look like 'Billy no mates'. The deception has just developed and taken wing. Contrived media, fake lives. People imagine that they are more independent now, but in fact they are even more dependent. They lack the most basic of social skills. They don't need to be humble in asking for help or direction. They can just check their phones.

I mostly rejected that way of life and still do things manually. Still ask for help, even though I could do it myself and help others in the same vein. Building and maintaining relationships, rather than pretending that I don't need anyone. Practice makes perfect.

Edited Saturday at 05:10 AM2 days by G-String