The ski trips Lee led not only helped break the ice for his chosen group of strangers, but also snowballed into a full-fledged travel company called Sotravel. Mr Lee now runs the company full-time with his slim team of two others, attracting young Singaporeans troubled by travel and looking for new ways to build friendships. .
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His business is one of the few in the city state to tap into the pent-up demand driven by Singaporeans looking for enriching experiences and interactions after more than two years of talking to people behind computer screens and masks. It is.
Lee said the COVID-19 pandemic has left little room for what he called “organic” ways to meet people. “In the past few years, a lot of things have moved online: work, dating, and even grocery shopping. Naturally, we’re finding new and organic ways to make authentic connections with others. We need a way.”
Many young Singaporeans, whose important moments in life, such as starting university or starting their first full-time job, have been interrupted by COVID-19 restrictions, are keen to meet new people and develop friendships. .
According to online reports, Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2010) in Singapore makes up one-third of the population, while Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) make up one-quarter of the population.
Young people interviewed by Asia This Week cited a variety of reasons for wanting to foster a platonic relationship, including too many jobs to juggle and a lack of tools to do so at work. etc.
Joanna Lamb, 36, a strategy director, said she used to often go out for drinks with colleagues, but everything has changed since the pandemic hit.
“I think it made work a lot more remote for me. I didn’t have regular work lunches or happy hours anymore,” she said, adding that there was an element of “serendipity” in her life. He added that it was nostalgic.
But sociologist Tan Anh Sar said that while young Singaporeans may be chatting and keeping in touch with friends through mobile devices, it may not be quite the same as meeting up. .
“I think the experience of the coronavirus pandemic, the ubiquity of social media in daily life, and the intense focus on career aspirations can disrupt face-to-face social interactions,” Tan explained. .
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desire to connect
Besides Mr Lee, other enterprising Singaporeans have come up with similar platforms to help people forge new friendships, with about half a dozen such companies popping up over the past few years.
In 2022, Joel Tee, 26, embarked on his passion project, Dinner with Strangers. This, as his name suggests, brings together a group of strangers to share a meal and talk.
Interested participants must first fill out a survey containing unconventional questions that elicit more intimate details about themselves. For example, how do you explain your job to an 8-year-old? What’s an interesting question to ask someone at a bar? , or a niche hobby you’d like to explore if time and money aren’t an issue.
Tee then creates anonymous profiles for the selected participants, which are shared among the selected group of 14 people.
“We didn’t want work to be the first place people got to know each other,” she says. She said, “I wanted to show a different side of people. That way, the ice is already broken a little bit and she doesn’t have to think about what she wants to say when she comes to dinner.”
Most of Tea’s dinners are over capacity, with up to 50 people registering for each one, but she prefers to keep the group size small so it’s “not too overwhelming” for introverts. At the same time, you want to ensure that your dinner guests are not forced to attend. A constant conversation.”
She has been surprised by the overwhelming response she has received so far. “I don’t think Singaporeans are that reserved,” she said with a laugh.
“I think there’s a change in our lifestyles and not everyone is following a linear path of getting married early and settling down. A lot of people think that friends are the key to their lives. “I’m starting to realize that I’m going to a different stage and it’s not easy to make friends in the office,” she added.
Ann Rui Xuan, 26, a civil servant, decided to attend a tea dinner when she returned to Singapore after completing her master’s degree in the Netherlands.
“I’m very happy with my social calendar. I see friends every other week, sometimes every week, and I try to spend time with my family on the weekends…but I just returned to Singapore from studying abroad, so I’m very happy with my social calendar. , my social circle has completely changed. It’s shrunk a little since I left,” she said.
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Another enterprising Singaporean was looking to cultivate new friendships closer to home. Grace Ann Chua, 30, wanted to help strangers in her neighborhood get to know each other through the social enterprise Friendzone.
After years of living in a university dormitory where Chua developed close relationships with her neighbors and often met to play sports and share meals, she found this sense of community when she returned to live at home. I felt that it was missing.
Mr Chua co-founded the platform with two others and now facilitates monthly get-togethers in different parts of Singapore, in addition to meet-ups for people in the same industry.
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According to Chua, Singaporeans are not usually in the habit of striking up conversations with their neighbors.
“Culturally, Singaporeans don’t really greet strangers,” she said, but there needs to be space for people to develop these relationships into something more meaningful and deep, beyond just a greeting. I pointed out that there is.
“It’s a matter of opportunity, but it’s also a matter of individual initiative. Sometimes you need someone – a government, an organization, an interest group – to create an avenue for strangers to come together and interact. There’s a gap. Yes,” she said, explaining that most people who attend Friendzone events tend to be in the right “head space” and ready to meet others.
Chua hopes this trend will change the way people live their social lives and develop the courage to talk to strangers.
“Our hope with Friendzone is that anyone can take the initiative to start conversations and build friendships.”