Loneliness in Buddhism

I am wondering what is the antidote to loneliness, or the approach towards it, within Buddhism. I am finding myself quite lonely despite being previously familiar and at ease with solitude. I am using social media quite often, mainly to chat with others; I find this might have exacerbated my feelings of loneliness. I am wondering two things primarily: (1) What are the things that cause loneliness and exacerbate it? What are the non-social antidotes to loneliness? (2) Does active and directed attention, whether in meditation or attending to tasks, alleviate feelings of loneliness in the long term? And perhaps (3) what is the Buddhist view on social media use? Is it inherently fragmenting awareness as I suspect? Does it have no benefits?