Throughout the collection, Tulathimutte observes the loneliness that plagues and, in some cases, defines modern life. Though technology and the proliferation of social media ensure that people are more connected than ever, the Internet has also heightened isolation, alienation, and apathy. As a result, the stories show how social behavior and engagement in the modern world foster a cycle that drives the fear of rejection.

In “Pics,” Alison fixates on Neil’s rejection. Her inability to let go is fueled partly by the access she has to his life on social media. Her insistence on keeping up with Neil extends to Cece. During their first meeting, Alison retreats to the bathroom to stalk Cece online. Much later, when Alison and Neil are estranged, Alison continues to look at pictures of Cece and Neil online. She convinces herself that she has to outperform Cece: “The only way to compete with Cece without overtly badmouthing her […] is to silently outdo her” (67). Instead of getting the validation she wants from Neil, Alison becomes increasingly isolated. The only company she has comes in the form of her group chat, but she alienates them by forcing them to pity her. At the end of the story, Alison enters her emptied group chat to express her frustration, claiming that no one really cares for her.

In “Ahegao, or, The Ballad of Sexual Repression,” Kant would rather rely on fantasy for romantic and sexual satisfaction than on the reality of his relationship with Julian. He is reluctant to share his desires with Julian, because he worries the sadistic imagery he imagines is too transgressive. The only time Kant manages to communicate what he really wants is when he writes a detailed email to Cody Heat about the custom porn video he wants to commission. By telling himself that monetary compensation entitles him the space and trust to share his fantasy without judgment, Kant effectively rejects the idea that the same kind of trust can be achieved in a relationship based on emotional connection. He affirms his loneliness by choosing fantasy, self-gratification, and the distanced detachment that the Internet grants him over his trust in Julian.

“Main Character” foregrounds Bee’s search for a community that accepts their rejection of identity. After failed attempts at friendship in high school, college, and early adulthood, Bee finds comfort in the anonymity of being terminally online: On Twitter, Bee does not need to subscribe to social codes of race and gender to be understood and validated by others. It is only when one of their posts goes viral that Bee resents the online experience. For the most part, however, online engagement is depicted as being easier to deal with emotionally than the argument that Bee has with their housemates at the co-op. But Bee’s satisfaction with the online world comes at the cost of physical isolation, especially after the death of their mother. 

Explainer creator MH-Sleuth finds meaning in Bee’s life story. Obfuscating veracity, Bee has reached a person for whom that story resonates and engaged them in their loneliness: “If discourse is loneliness, as they wrote, then they have made this loneliness bespoke: each is for you and nobody else” (242-43). Through the coda that MH-Sleuth supplies to Bee’s story, Tulathimutte points to the obvious solution to loneliness: emotional resonance and connection. The fact that this happens only within a niche community of online users—the Botkins devoted to untangling the enigma of Bee’s post—underscores the rarity of such connection in the digital age.