A niche but growing trend has emerged on social media in which content creators, predominantly women, document the pleasures of living alone and having few or no close friends, presenting solitude as a deliberate lifestyle choice rather than a source of sadness. Toronto-based Lana Isa, a software sales manager in her 20s, has drawn millions of views on TikTok by sharing quiet, unremarkable evenings spent cooking, reading and relaxing by herself, framing the content as an honest depiction of her life rather than a promotion of friendlessness. The trend matters because it challenges the stigma around being single, childless and without a close social circle, while also prompting debate about whether it destigmatises or glamorises isolation.

Isa's following grew from around 2,000 to more than 175,000 TikTok followers within eight months after she began posting about her solitary routine, with one video reaching seven million views; she now has almost 400,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram. Her circumstances stemmed from switching schools repeatedly, Covid-era isolation at college and relocating after a breakup. While many viewers say they feel "seen" by the content, critics have labelled such creators "loneliness influencers" and accused them of romanticising isolation or fostering "cosy defeatism" — a criticism echoed by others in the movement, such as Phoenix-based creator Devon Noehring, who says her solo lifestyle is being wrongly cast as a symptom of loneliness rather than a personal preference.