Recent research in the UK has found that people have been turning to smart speakers, such as Amazon Alexa, as a way to ease loneliness.
An Ofcom report published this month spoke to 100 participants about what they used such devices for, and while the majority of respondents used their smart speakers to listen to music or receive news updates, some said they regarded such devices as a companion, particularly if they were a single-person household. “It’s like having a friend in the house,” said one of the people surveyed. The same research also found that ownership of such devices had nearly doubled in the past two years.
While some of that expansion in ownership of Alexa and similar devices could be explained by the ubiquity and utility of technology in our lives, it also speaks to the world’s recent history of pandemic lockdowns and acts as a form of rebuttal to the social isolation that the global health crisis provoked in the first place.
In early 2020, as coronavirus cases rose, people sheltered at home and the search for solutions intensified, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described the pandemic as representing something far bigger than a public health emergency. “It is an economic crisis. A social crisis. And a human crisis,” Mr Guterres declared.
In hindsight, the pandemic was always destined to be more than a health crisis. And so it has proven, delivering a host of consequences that will, in all likelihood, take years to unwind.
Much of the digital world relies on connectivity and connectedness and yet, those interactions can feel hollow and fleeting
The economic crisis is now well-known and definitely proven, with parts of the post-Covid-19 world consumed by a deepening cost of living crisis, rising interest rates and general instability. Even the big tech architects of those voice-activated digital assistants, previously seen as unsinkable vessels of profit and transformation, have experienced the treacherous economic tides of 2022.
The full scale of the social and human crisis, meanwhile, is just beginning to appear. Loneliness may have emerged as the unwanted collateral damage from all of this.
As suggested at the start of the pandemic, many of us have changed our habits radically after long periods of sheltering at home or seeing friends and family far less than previously. Life is undoubtedly different now to what it was in early 2020.
We know that so much of the digital world that we all inhabit relies on connectivity and connectedness and yet, those same interactions can sometimes feel hollow and fleeting. The quantity of social interactions within our lives is probably higher than it has ever been, albeit most of it occurring within the digital world, but many will also say that the quality of many of those interactions is not high.
Social media is such a powerful and transformative part of our daily lives, but it is also capable of alienating and promoting feelings of low self-esteem or prompting withdrawal by some. I doubt many people see it as a harmless or neutral force in their world.
The sacrifices that many people had to make during periods of lockdown and, more generally, via requirements to work from home or even to follow instructions to “socially distance” may have all contributed to increasing levels of disconnection.
Research in the US found a small but significant increase in loneliness during the pandemic and cautioned that it should continue to be monitored through future studies.
Separate research by the UK government, also published earlier this year, identified what it described as “clear links between loneliness and mental health distress”. Their data found that a broad range of people were at risk of experiencing chronic loneliness. They included the young, as well as people living with disabilities and those on lower incomes.
The straight line between social withdrawal and possible poor mental health is not difficult to discern, but there is also increasing evidence that loneliness can be just as damaging to general health. In fact, the risks to general health may “rival those of smoking, obesity and physical inactivity", according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, a national public health agency in the US.
Experts don’t always agree on what an appropriate response to this may look like, but certainly it requires action at all levels of society – from government to communities, workplaces and schools – to tackle loneliness and, in all probability, recognition of it as a potential broader crisis in the making.
This is a time of year, of course, when many UAE residents will be thinking about friends and family elsewhere in the world or, in many cases, making trips to see loved ones for Christmas and New Year. There is much to be thankful for today after those pandemic-era travel restrictions upset so many plans in the past. It was only this time last year that the Omicron wave of Covid-19 cases proved so disruptive and this year is the first time in three Decembers that travel is returning to close to pre-pandemic levels.
It is also a time of year, as 2023 approaches, to take stock of our lives and count up what we have done well and what we could do better. And, surely, it is a moment to remember what has been left behind by this years-long health crisis as it slowly recedes from view.
How we reconcile a world where increased connectedness could end up inducing greater feelings of loneliness and withdrawal will be key to our future.
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The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
More on Quran memorisation:
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
HEADLINE HERE
- I would recommend writing out the text in the body
- And then copy into this box
- It can be as long as you link
- But I recommend you use the bullet point function (see red square)
- Or try to keep the word count down
- Be wary of other embeds lengthy fact boxes could crash into
- That's about it
Scoreline:
Everton 4
Richarlison 13'), Sigurdsson 28', Digne 56', Walcott 64'
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton)
If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
Results
ATP Dubai Championships on Monday (x indicates seed):
First round
Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
Fernando Verdasco (ESP) bt Thomas Fabbiano (ITA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
Marton Fucsovics (HUN) bt Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 6-1, 7-6 (7/5)
Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) bt Karen Khachanov (RUS x4) 6-4, 6-1
Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) bt Milos Raonic (CAN x7) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
More from Neighbourhood Watch
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Brief scores:
Liverpool 3
Mane 24', Shaqiri 73', 80'
Manchester United 1
Lingard 33'
Man of the Match: Fabinho (Liverpool)
The Al Barzakh Festival takes place on Wednesday and Thursday at 7.30pm in the Red Theatre, NYUAD, Saadiyat Island. Tickets cost Dh105 for adults from platinumlist.net
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
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Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 310hp
Torque: 366Nm
Price: Dh200,000
RACE CARD
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,200m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,900m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 2,000m
8.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
