“Humans are more connected to each other than ever, thanks to smartphones, the web and social media. At the same time, loneliness is a huge and growing social problem. Why is this so?” That’s Roger Patulny from the University of Wollongong who researches social inclusion, connection and trust and has a special interest in the sociology of emotions. Recently he’s been investigating what’s been described as Australia’s loneliness epidemic and its relationship to the now all-pervasive use of social media.