Reading the posts today there seem to be many lonely people.

That's just your perception. I don't see much difference between rolling on the floor laughing from something someone said sitting next to me and from some specific conversation I participated in on here. Actually, there were times I had much more fun on here than while sitting with acquaintances in a bar looking at time wondering if I should catch the bus home now or risk having to wait for another hour for the next one bored while they'd gradually get more and more drunk and less and less entertaining. Besides, it's a little bit more tolerated to get up and join a conversation some strangers are having at the next table. 🙈 Maybe it's still budging in but I would never do that in real life.