In this day and age of the time where you can just pick up your phone and call or drop a text and is delivered right that second. How can we be lonely?
The digital world we live in we are connected but not emotionally.
Alone is a state of being where being lonely is a feeling.
Loneliness can be defined as feeling emotionally disconnected. Think of yourself in a crowded room but feeling that no body can see you, this disconnection is referred as loneliness.
Technology is a double edged sword
- Social Media – Connection or Illusion
- Platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and more makes us feel connected. From afar you will you are connected but that is just surface level. Passive scrolling—liking photos, lurking on stories—has been linked to heightened feelings of isolation (Keles et al., 2020).
- Face to face interaction
- With hyper connectivity one can see each other virtually but not in real life .Research by Twenge et al. (2018) shows that the decline in face-to-face time correlates with increased loneliness, especially among young adults.
- FOMO expectatio- perfect life
- With the control in one’s own hand one usually shows the best highlights of their life which in turn leads to seeing polished snapshots of others’ lives creates unrealistic standards for happiness, fueling feelings of inadequacy (Przybylski et al., 2013).
Hidden cost of Loneliness
Chronic loneliness results in both biological and psychological adverse effects.
- Loneliness is a leading cause of anxiety and depression (Cacioppo et al., 2006).
- Lonely individuals face higher risks of cardiovascular disease and weakened immunity (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2015).
The most affected
- Young adults. :Despite being “digitally native,” Generation Z and Millennials have the greatest rates of loneliness. According to a Cigna (2018) poll, over half of individuals aged 18-24 report feeling alienated. Why? The drive to create a flawless online identity frequently trumps true connection.
- Older Adults : While older generations may not be subjected to the same social media demands, life changes such as retirement, health issues, or the loss of loved ones can lead to loneliness (Victor & Yang, 2012).
Conclusion: The Call for Connection.
The loneliness epidemic is not unavoidable; it is a result of how we use (or misuse) the resources at our disposal. Technology can separate, but it can also connect if used properly.
References
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02673843.2019.1590851#abstract
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-23050-018
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20652462
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2013-14654-070
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