Guardian op-ed critiques 'loneliness influencers' as spreading 'cozy defeatism'

The Guardian published an op-ed by Rachel Connolly on June 15, 2026, arguing that the trend of 'loneliness influencers' — creators who vlog about being alone — promotes a sense of defeatism rather than addressing real loneliness. Connolly describes typical videos as showing a 'childfree and single girl who lives alone' coming home to an empty, spotless apartment with bland generic furnishings devoid of personal effects. She also recounts personal experiences with influencers, noting they often seem twitchy, avoid eye contact, and struggle with normal conversation.

the guardian's rachel connolly wrote a piece going after 'loneliness influencers' — the ones who make content about being alone. she says the videos are basically 'pov you're a childfree single girl who lives alone, here's your friday night' and it's all empty apartments with no personality. she also says the influencers she's met are a strange bunch, twitchy, no eye contact, can't hold a normal convo.