This actually reminds me of an article https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2025/12/ai-companionshi.... "“We believe that there is no material problem—whether created by nature or by technology—that cannot be solved with more technology.” In this same spirit, Zuckerberg began to suggest the idea that AI chatbots could fill in some of the socialization that people are missing."

I'l probably have to think about this more to see if there's any logic behind it but maybe there's a connection with us oscillating between social media and social networking...?

also you know how Mirror Theory...or maybe Plato's Cave where the shadows are what we see of real objects...is about how our "realities" are heavily filtered representations of the external world? maybe we somehow feel that, as a bottom line, it doesn't matter what the representations of social connection are? and if we perceive AI as a source of social connection...