Am amazed by the numbers I came across from a simple stat about people who still engage and visit their friends or family physically at least once a week. I was surprised but perhaps not so much, as even I myself am guilty of populating this statistic, though I don't quite consider myself introverted.
The need for social human interaction is not talked about in the media space as much of an issue possibly because social media and the rise of alternate delivery systems makes for better numbers, who knows.
Another factor is that Unconditional love and tolerance is one trait that we seem incapable of giving to ourselves as humans, simply because we are formed by, and end up with, different perspectives and opinions about life. The complexity of dealing with another human being with all our many flaws including deceit and malevolence perhaps provides tangible reason why people opt out.
Yet People are so loyal to their pets. My Family has had three dogs over the years, but unfortunately they are all late now. I'll definitely be getting another dog in the future but perhaps at more stable times than now. I didn't really get why people showered unconditional love on their pets as a child, not until we got our first dog anyways. We named her Grey, not the most innovative name for a Caucasian breed but it didn't matter. She seemed to love it whenever we called her.
Pets seemed like a perfect companion because they made great companions without the hassle of a human relationship. While I understand why some people go to extremes in this sense, I've never really seen pets as a replacement to human relationships or interactions. This is why am especially worried about the rise of AI in the companionship space, but perhaps that's another topic for another day.
My point is that regardless of our experiences, we must be careful to not let any alternatives replace, rather than complement the need for human interaction.