Solitude as a new aspirational lifestyle: 'We are not lonely'

What the report says

BBC World News reports that a niche online trend centred on solo living is drawing large audiences and sparking debate over whether it reflects healthy independence or a glamorised version of loneliness. The article focuses on creators, many of them women, who share routines built around living alone, spending time by themselves and prioritising peace over constant socialising.

Among those featured is Lana Isa, a Toronto-based software sales manager in her 20s whose TikTok and Instagram videos about life alone have reached millions of viewers. The BBC says her content resonated with people who also felt isolated or friendless, even as critics accused such creators of romanticising self-isolation. Similar themes appear in the work of Devon Noehring in Phoenix and SJ Hoadley in the UK, both of whom say their posts are meant to normalise solitude rather than present it as sadness or failure.

The piece adds that researchers distinguish between involuntary loneliness and choosing to spend time alone, while warning that people still need social connection for wellbeing. That context helps explain why the trend is controversial: it can offer validation and community for viewers who relate, but it may also blur the line between healthy independence and harmful withdrawal.

Overall, the BBC frames the movement as part of a wider shift in social media toward more authentic, less polished lifestyles, with some creators using their platforms to reduce stigma around being alone without suggesting that friendship or companionship are unimportant.