I have fewer (real) friends than fingers on my hand. I interact with dozens more people whom I would not rule out if we met face to face, but as for real friends, they are people I know I can count on when the going is rough, the chips are down, and I need a hand. They can count on me the same way.
I'd welcome more, but seldom meet people of that caliber.
I'm okay with that, because my expectations are realistic.
Reasons for people being depressed: (in this day and age)
Number 1: We have a media which revolves around creating the desire to have things we cannot afford. Be it the next, newest whatever to the lifestyles of the rich and famous, the idea was to get the workerbees to go deeply in debt thinking things would make them happy so they'd have the latest, best, fastest, newest whatever, which will be replaced by the next model in six months anyway. The carefully managed discontent levels are all out of whack as the economy fails to recover in a meaningful way, and those with no hope in sight of getting those teevee thingies who are lucky to put food on the table are getting bummed as never before. which leads to number two:
The fake recovery.
With the perception that all is well in the world garnered from the media, individuals wonder why they can't make the ends meet, why they can't find decent work, why they can't get ahead or even far enough above water to get a breath. No wonder they are depressed. With all presented as officially 'rosy', they feel like failures, they feel they have let down their parents/self/spouse/kids...
Number 3: With all that, marriages fail.
Divorce is one of the most spiritually/economically/emotionally destructive things that can happen to anyone, to a family, and to children. No shortage of that nowadays, and wedge issues are very commonly economic.
All this social media does is rub in any failures (which almost everyone has sooner or later). In debt, under/un-employed, without their spouse or family support, people are going to need some serious strength to avoid being depressed. I have had days where Faith in The Almighty has been the only thing that has kept me going, believing He has something yet for me to do.
Others look for their answers in the wrong places, and that just makes problems worse.
Good observations. Situation with “friends” for us is about
the same as you describe. (In fact, you may possibly be more
of a social butterfly than we are.) :o)
We always showed hospitality when anyone came to visit us;
but we were never the people who threw big parties. In fact,
the few times when we have had husband’s college “friends”
over, the wife of one of them flatly informed me that “she”
did not keep house for company, the top of her fridge was
loaded down with junk & blah, blah. So, husband kept
inviting them over anyway & inviting, & inviting until he
finally just quit and solved it (for a while) by having
lunch in town with the college buddy. I had informed him
of her expressed attitude; but I don’t reckon he believed
me. We recently met them for lunch in town and that was
OK. - Husband started up again, mentioning for them to
come out to our place sometime. (No response from either
of them.) - Then he started on me after that about “having
them out”. I just flat told him pretty much to quit
beating that drum. I’m old and all disgusted with it; with
her to be honest. I understand his feelings about an old
friend and wanting to be hospitable to him; but this
situation is NOT my fault. I’ve gone the extra mile.
Oh well. This “society” is all buggered up. I’m old and
on my way out before too many more years anyway; so I’ve
set my sights on what is real. - We live in the boonies
(which may well be invaded by the jihadists if Hussein has
his way); but if our “keep out” signs don’t stop them,
perhaps my great-great grandpas old Smith & Wesson might
just do if my Netanyahu doggie doesn’t get their attention!