Why does no one talk about loneliness in a world built on connections?
We live connected. Always reachable, always “online.” And yet, in the constant flow of messages, calls, comments, and content... there’s a subtle, almost invisible kind of loneliness that no one talks about.
It’s a loneliness I know well. And it doesn’t show up when I’m alone, it shows up when I share something that matters and don’t know if anyone has seen it, understood it, or felt it.
📩 The silence that echoes
It happens when I craft a presentation that means a lot to me. Or when I write a post, pour a piece of myself into it, hit publish… and it just hangs there. No feedback. No signal. It happens with my newsletter. Sometimes I send it out, and then I wait. I ask myself: "Are they there? Are they reading? Do they feel anything? Is this content even meaningful to them?" You wouldn’t believe how often I wonder.
And it’s not just a professional thought, it’s something more intimate. Because when you create something (a presentation, a piece of writing, an idea), you invest time, attention, and trust. And when all you get in return is silence… something inside deflates.
It’s not the absence of people. It’s the absence of their response. A loneliness not made of isolation but of invisibility.
🔬 Quantum Physics gave me the words I was missing
This feeling reminded me of a principle in quantum physics that has always fascinated me: the observer effect.
In quantum mechanics, a particle can exist in multiple states at the same time. Until someone observes it. It’s the act of observing that causes the wave function to “collapse” into a single state.
Observation shapes reality.
And I started wondering: maybe the same thing happens to us. Maybe we only fully exist when someone truly sees us. Our ideas and our creations are like those particles: they exist in potential. But they only become real, tangible, transformative when they resonate with someone’s gaze.
🧠 Presentations that want to be seen
Designing a presentation is not just about “showing.” It’s about creating the conditions for something to happen between you and your audience. It’s about building a bridge.
This was beautifully echoed by Pope Leo XIV in his very first address. He spoke simply, but with intensity, about one core message: we are called to build bridges. With patience, trust, and presence. It struck me deeply. Because that’s what I try to do with every story, every slide: build bridges, even if I don’t yet know who will walk across.
And every element of a presentation (a word, an image, a pause) can be one small brick in that bridge. An invitation to connect. A quiet way of saying: “I’m here. Are you?”
💡 What if loneliness is part of the process?
There’s a kind of loneliness that’s inevitable. Maybe it’s necessary. When you’re creating something truly yours, you detach a little from the rest of the world. You need silence, uncertainty, and space. But you can’t stay there too long.
A story isn’t truly a story until it finds a listener.
That’s why I believe presentation design should start here: not with what I want to say, but with who I’m speaking to. How can I make that person feel seen, invited and involved? Because a speaker is never truly alone when they make room for someone else.
🧩 Creative Exercise
Here’s a simple experiment: Design a slide (or a story) that doesn’t stand on its own. Build it in a way that only makes sense through the viewer’s presence or response.
An open question. A decision to make. A pause that asks for attention.
Make space for the other, and they will show up.
🤍 A silent kind of connection
If you’ve ever felt invisible while sharing something that truly mattered… know that you’re not alone. You may have been speaking directly to someone who needed it the most, but they just didn’t know how to tell you.
Not all connections make noise. Some form in silence, like those mysterious quantum bonds: invisible, yet incredibly powerful.
Let’s keep building bridges. Even when we can’t yet see who’s on the other side.
This article is part of Quantum Presentations: a series exploring how ideas from quantum physics can elevate storytelling, communication, and presentation design.
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