Recently, I reached out to a friend to see if they wanted to see the second Wicked film, only to realise the last time I’d seen them had been a full year – when we went to the first Wicked film. Oops. For a musical about friendship, it’s really lacking a number where Elphaba and Glinda try to schedule a lunch four months in advance.

I wish this was a one-off blip in my regimented friendship schedule, but all through 2025 I played the world’s slowest game of message tennis. I’d invite a pal for dinner, only for the world to turn, the seasons pass, grey hairs gather at my temples, before a date was finally locked in.

This sentiment seems to be common among my circle. In fact the latest Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey revealed a long-term decline in social connectedness that has only worsened since the pandemic, with many Australians seeing a decline in friendships, particularly men aged 24–44 and women aged 15–24. In the horrible pyramid of late-capitalism needs, maintaining and valuing your friendships often falls depressingly low beneath “having a job and paying rent”. If I had a nickel every time I’ve had to let friends down the past year because I’ve been doing job interviews or the........

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