Will: Hi, I'm Will. I'm a law and cyber security student and I've experienced loneliness in my life. 



So, I transitioned into high school from my very small primary school, which had about 150 students. I came to a high school that had over a thousand. And even in my year level, there were over 150 students. So, for the most part, I used to just sit by myself, eat my lunch, and kind of look on and wait for lunch to be over because that was the time of day I didn't really like. 



If people don't want to hang out with me, I directly put that on my self worth. And you know, someone doesn't want to hang out with me, that's because they don't want to make the time. I'm not a priority. 



It's not a feeling of being lonely. It's more so a feeling of self-judgment, or at least it is for me. I think, you know, if people don't want to hang out with you, it means you're not good enough or you're not worthy of them hanging out with you.



 I think a lot of people when they're feeling alone, they often think it's just them. they're the only one who is alone. They don't have anyone to reach out to. But I think  knowing that there are so many other people who feel lonely and it's not just a one person thing. It's a community.



 Checking in on how someone is can be really helpful, not just for you but also for them. It makes them feel validated, someone's checking on them. The smallest things can go a long way and they can make someone's day. We live life just passing by people. We see people every day, we look at people every day, but we might not interact with people every day. And I think that's what's important. 



Through platforms such as Discord and Instagram, I've been able to meet so many awesome people from around the world who have like-minded experiences. I think a lot of people who feel isolated come to these online communities as a space to connect with other people. And I've really found it quite useful to be able to come to these online spaces and meet other people and connect around shared interests, whether it might be gaming or listening to music or watching movies. I think that has been a really great way to connect and I've really enjoyed being able to use platforms to connect to other people from all over the world. 



I think my experience with social media has been quite positive, but I always think, you know, with social media, we have to remember that people don't have to be their real selves on these platforms. You're going to always get people who show their best life, show  the greatest things happening to them. And, you know, you look at those things, I know I've looked at those things and you think, ‘Oh, why isn't my life that interesting?’ You know? ‘They're going on holidays every week. They're off doing amazing things. I'm at home doing homework. This is boring. Why is my life not that exciting?’ And I think  especially in online communities there can be a tendency to hide behind the computer. And I think, while social media is a great place still, there is always the element that.. how do you really know who the person behind the screen is? That's always something you have to consider when using online spaces.