It's Always More Complicated

I am not sure quite WHAT my emotions are on reading this article on relationship minimalism, which is apparently the new trend?

‘I’d rather be alone’: the influencers pushing for ‘relationship minimalism’

(We do wonder about cause and effect and whether friends/partners simply got totally miffed off at the person being more about their social media followers than being in the here and now with the persons they were supposed to be in a RL, f2f relationship with? It's a thought, no?)

After writing down his yearly goals, he realized that being with someone wasn’t one of them. “For where I am right now, a relationship is not my priority. I have limited time and energy, and I can only allocate so much of it each day. I am trying to get rid of everything that doesn’t give me true satisfaction.”

Actually, this sounds to me like one of those blokes who keep reappearing like the undead on advice forums, who don't just object to their partners making 'demands', whether emotional or about doing a fair whack of household maintenance, but daring to have individuality and interests and hobbies that are not all about him.

And the whole 'honing down to a very few really truly (Bestie Boosum Forever) Frendz'? or as they put it

[N]ot only eschewing excess material items, but also meaningless relationships and excess “emotional clutter”. If their friendships are non-satisfactory, they declutter, opting for fewer but more quality relationships. If the city they live in no longer sparks joy, they move. And in a quest to trim down the amount of unnecessary emotional engagement with the world, some don’t even use smartphones or social media.

- seems to me to underestimate the value that I seem to have noted there is robust research relating to on 'weak ties' in one's social life.

Not to mention, a very transactional view of relationships.

To revert to a very recurrent theme around these parts, this is dreadfully reminiscent of Reading Books Becoz They Iz Worthwhile, and Having Them on Your Shelves either as an expression of amazing design aesthetic (TWFU over here with Ms Parker) or to demonstrate WelRedNess.