The in-between trust podcast

#10 - Tech & oneliness: Reclaiming Connection in the Age of Artificial Intimacy


Listen Later

🎙️ With Monika Jiang – Researcher, Writer & Community Curator


Summary

In this episode of the in-between trust podcast, Eva Simone Lihotzky speaks with researcher and community curator Monika Jiang about the layered relationship between oneliness, trust, and technology. Together, they explore how artificial intimacy, digital environments, and emotional proximity are reshaping the way we connect — with each other and with ourselves.

Monika shares her thinking on the historical roots of oneliness, the limitations of digital intimacy, and what it takes to design communities that truly foster belonging. This episode is an invitation to slow down, listen closely, and rebuild the emotional fabric that trust depends on — across human and digital space.


🔑 Takeaways

  • Oneliness is a historical concept of interconnectedness

  • Loneliness and trust are deeply entangled

  • Technology can create artificial intimacy — not always connection

  • Trust is built through presence, difference, and shared space

  • Human relationships require emotional complexity, not convenience

  • Communities thrive when they embrace tension and paradox

  • Leaders must create space for difficult emotions

  • Digital intimacy is real, but different — and needs design

  • Consistency builds trust in community, not grand gestures

  • Trust is a practice of faith, not a checklist


🎙️ Sound Bites

"Trust is a tricky thing."
"Oneliness feels like a living motion."
"Community needs embracing differences."


⏱️ Chapters

00:00 Exploring Oneliness and Trust
05:03 The Impact of Technology on Connection
09:55 Digital vs. Human Connection
14:54 Designing Intimate Communities
19:41 The Role of Leaders in Fostering Trust
24:36 Navigating Truth in Relationships
29:26 The Future of Trust and Community


🔭 Keywords

oneliness, trust, community, technology, connection, loneliness, digital intimacy, leadership, emotional fabric, AI


💻 Links

in-between trust on Instagram: @inbetween_trust


More about the oneliness project: https://www.monikajiang.org

More about Monika Jiang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monika-jiang/

More about The House of Beautiful Business: https://houseofbeautifulbusiness.com


...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The in-between trust podcastBy Eva Simone Lihotzky