Eric Klinenberg's Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone is a fascinating look at our changing way of life—and it's innovative thinking like this that has landed Klinenberg as a conference speaker at the L2 Think Tank for Digital Innovation. Klinenberg has worked extensively on the rise of solo living, and argues that it's one of the largest societal changes in decades that no one seems to be talking about. The implications of Klinenberg's research are far reaching, with the potential to make large impacts on our cities, our communication habits, and our economy. Paradoxically, people who live alone tend to be more social than their partnered peers, spending more time on social media and at bars, restaurants, and cafes. Businesses need to be aware of this monumental shift in order to move from our outdated notions of how people live, to the new reality of a more individual world.
Klinenberg is Professor of Sociology, Public Policy, and Media, Culture and Communications at NYU. In addition to Going Solo, Klinenberg's other books—Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago and Fighting for Air: The Battle to Control America's Media—take a unique and innovative multidisciplinary approach to today's most interesting societal issues. One of America's leading social science voices today, Klinenberg continues to challenge our preconceptions about today's society, and show us not only where we're going—but where we actually are.
