Abstract
The paper describes a digital transformation of intimacy in which technology, economic liberalization, declining birth rates, and social isolation interact. It links the commodification of labor and the virtualization of connection without treating digital mediation as a complete explanation for demographic change.
What the paper contributes
- Automation and economic precarity are examined as social conditions, not only as technical trends.
- The paper connects labor, intimacy, identity, and demographic questions across a wider Volume IV research arc.
- Its central contribution is a research frame for asking how institutions shape the conditions under which connection is possible.
Publication boundary
This page is a curated public reading copy assembled from the matching Dropbox preprint controller and the author-linked SSRN record. It does not mirror the private archive or reproduce alternate drafts.
The SSRN result reports 47 downloads and 152 abstract views. The site uses the public summary and links to the SSRN record; it does not reproduce email addresses, private correspondence, or alternate archive copies.
References
- SSRN Harsh Wardhan, Siddhartha, Disconnected Hearts — The Tech Revolution of Intimacy (2025), SSRN abstract 5578130.Open source ↗
Source notes
- Featured because its retrieved SSRN usage signal is stronger than the remaining matched Volume IV preprints in this set.
- The article is labeled as a preprint and not as a completed sociological or demographic finding.
Limitations and unresolved boundaries
- The paper is conceptual and does not establish a single causal pathway from technology to demographic outcomes.
- No star-rating system is reported by SSRN; downloads and abstract views are descriptive usage counts.
Suggested citation
Siddhartha Harsh Wardhan. “Disconnected Hearts — The Tech Revolution of Intimacy.” Independent Observer, 6 November 2025.