“I miss my friends, but I also miss strangers”: Pandemic loneliness and the importance of place and practice

Loneliness is often conceptualized as a lack of quality relationships with friends and family. Other scholars have highlighted the importance of weak ties, or even strangers, for a sense of social belonging. In this article, data from the Pandemic Journaling Project (PJP) are used to explore loneliness among US participants aged 25 to 64 in the context of pandemic restrictions in 2020 and 2021. Entries which included the keywords lonely/loneliness illustrate the importance of interactions with acquaintances and strangers, along with practices and places that convey a sense of social participation. Loneliness is not only a longing for close relationships, but a longing for social places and practices which often facilitate seemingly banal social interaction.