TFN, Native Teams Launch Webinar on Human Internet as 27% of Gen Z Reports Daily Loneliness
Updated
Updated · Tech Funding News · Jun 5
TFN, Native Teams Launch Webinar on Human Internet as 27% of Gen Z Reports Daily Loneliness
1 articles · Updated · Tech Funding News · Jun 5
Summary
Tech Funding News and Native Teams used the first Women in Tech session of their “Building the Human Internet” webinar to argue that AI-heavy digital life and remote work are weakening real human connection.
27% of Gen Z reports feeling lonely daily even as 5.5 billion people are online, the panel said, with social platforms and AI-generated content increasingly optimized for engagement rather than closeness.
Clyx founder Alyx van der Vorm said the problem is structural: traditional social media fixates on others’ past lives, while younger users are shifting toward smaller communities and tools that drive offline interaction.
Native Teams’ Aleksandra Mitrevska said remote work exposes weak culture rather than causing it, arguing that clear expectations and AI used to support workers—not distance them—are essential for trust across teams in 95 countries.
TFN’s Akansha Dimri said about 90% of the outlet’s roughly 60 daily funding pitches now mention AI, warning that “AI-washing” is rising and that products with genuine human trust and community will gain value over the next three to five years.
With regulators now cracking down on AI hype, how can companies prove their 'human element' is genuine and not just the next marketing gimmick?
Can apps designed to fix loneliness escape the same engagement-driven pressures that created the problem in the first place?
As 'human connection' becomes a premium product, will it create a new social divide between those who can and cannot afford it?
The Gen Z Loneliness Crisis: Why the Most Connected Generation Feels the Most Alone—and the Urgent Role of Tech, AI, and Workplaces
Overview
The TFN & Native Teams webinar brought together experts to discuss Gen Z’s growing loneliness crisis. Despite living in a world with unprecedented online interaction, young adults are experiencing record levels of isolation. The report highlights how digital platforms, though designed to connect people, may actually contribute to this sense of isolation, especially when heavy social media use leads to anxiety and emotional exhaustion. This situation underscores the urgent need for digital environments and workplace cultures that are intentionally designed to foster genuine human connection, moving beyond superficial online interactions to address the real needs of Gen Z.