Sam Pressler

One person's loneliness is another's business opportunity.

Since the early 2000s, when Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam warned of the decline of civic and social spaces in his seminal work, Bowling Alone, we have witnessed the privatization of community, according to Sam Pressler, a fellow at the Harvard Human Flourishing Program who studies community, connection, and class.

Gathering spaces shifted away from places of worship and union halls to boutique fitness centers and private, members-only clubs.

There was already this dynamic in place where you could, at a premium level, sell people on community, Pressler said.