social isolation and technology

Technological progress and connectivity

Technological progress has been characterized as a phenomenon, with immeasurable societal implications. It has greatly aided connectivity through devices such as computers, smartphones, and tablets. People all over the world can now communicate with one another through the internet. However, technology has not been without its drawbacks.

Social isolation and mobile devices

The way we communicate with others has changed. The majority of our connectivity is done by mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Face-to-face contact is no longer preferred, and people are increasingly taking to the internet to make virtual friends. This has created social isolation as we are always glued to the screen of our devices interacting with ‘friends’ we have never even met while ignoring those around us.

Impact of technology on social lives

Technology has increased social isolation through video games, smartphones, computers, and social media. Video games are now designed with enticing interfaces that are attractive to most gamers. Most people spend a lot of time playing these games to the extent of forgetting their friends and relatives. Professional and personal responsibilities have also been forgotten by most gamers who remain glued to video games for the majority of the day. Computers and smartphones further affect time spent on building real relationships. Our virtual world consumes most of our time as we constantly attend to the beeps and vibrations on our devices and forget those around us. Social media is another technological phenomenon that people have turned to for communication. However, it only offers an illusion of social connection, replaces real friends and family, and negatively affects the self-image of its users. Hence, technology is greatly affecting our social lives and measures need to be developed that will see us spend more time in the real world than developing virtual relationships.

Technology and Social Isolation

The magnitude to which technology has impacted on human life is beyond measure. Little did people know that technology would go to the extent of affecting human interactions. We listen to music or play games on our smartphones while forgetting to notice, leave alone knowing one another. A small bus ride from one destination to another reveals just how little interaction goes on in human life. The majority of the passengers either have big headphones on their ears listening to music or browsing on their smartphones or tablets. Nowadays, people can stand next to one another and fail to even exchange greetings. In learning institutions, students tune out the rest of the world while waiting for the next class to begin, leading to social isolation. Social isolation can lead to despair, anxiety, and depression among other things. It can be limited if the use of technology is controlled to certain times and in emergency situations. However, with the constant changes in technology, controlling the use could be a daunting task. Technology causes social isolation because people spend a lot of time with smartphones, computers, and on social media communication to virtual friends.

The impact of technology on social interaction

Modern technology has had a major impact on society, with the most positive aspect being its ability to connect people in different parts of the world. Whether it has been playing an Xbox game or texting, the world has never been more social in a different way (Turkle, 2011). Unfortunately, this incredible phenomenon has its downside that has had a toll on society. As much as it seems contradictory, true social interaction has been eroded (Benson & Morgan, 2015). Today, face-to-face communication has become less natural with social isolation being the most dominant trait. We would rather text people than talk to them, and it has become normal to find a group of people together but hardly conversing because all of them are busy on their smartphones (Townsend, 2017). We often think that we are socializing, but in the real sense, we are being separated from the real interaction we crave, leading us to feelings of isolation.

The impact of video games on social isolation

Video games are among the technological advancement and have profoundly contributed to social isolation (Townsend, 2017). These games are vivid and have multiple virtual worlds that attract millions of people to play. The interface also has vast environments that are composed of specific abilities, backgrounds, and duties from which the players can choose. Players also have the ability to interact with one another, team up, and accomplish missions together. Communication is via headsets, which is important to plan and execute a mission to achieve a common goal. These games offer a lot for players to the extent that if the player is on his own, he can be caught up playing the whole day. Days and hours are easily lost, particularly if the games are designed for a long period (Townsend, 2017). In most cases, people assume that these gamers are interacting and there is no problem with forming relationships through games. However, the problem is that time spent online is time spent away from friends and family who add more value to our social life. In fact, it is not time devoted to accomplishing both professional and personal responsibilities. These daily duties cannot be taken for granted nor wait. But as video games become important to a person, there is little that matters.

The influence of smartphones and social media on social isolation

Smartphones, social communication, and portable computers are the biggest game changers with their effect being allowing connection with people in the virtual world but less interaction in the real world (Townsend, 2017). Our virtual and real worlds overlap because some of our real friends are also our virtual friends. However, the time and effort we dedicate to our virtual worlds eat into the time to communicate and develop relationships with people in our real world. By owning smartphones, we are constantly bothered by beeps and vibrations that alert us or warn us of something that needs our attention. In most cases, we write short messages and deceive ourselves that we are sociable, yet in the real sense, we are only having a glance of connection and not real communication. What is worse is that our smartphones do not need to beep or vibrate to take away our attention (Townsend, 2017). Most people have developed a habit of constantly checking their electronic devices several times a day, even without receiving an alert. Anxiety has been blamed for this habit. Most people check their phones out of anxiety about what is happening in their virtual worlds.

The impact of social media on social isolation

Social media platforms are another technological milestone that has played a key role in promoting social isolation (Benson & Morgan, 2015). Instead of interacting with a person in real time, many people turn to social media for companionship and communication. These platforms provide a distraction from real life. For example, instead of people learning how to deal with social problems and working through them, they focus on their phones where they access various social networking sites that distract us from immediate relationships. Social media has also replaced actual family and friends. People maintain emotional distance with a delusion of intimacy (Turkle, 2011). Over the years, it has been claimed that those who focus more on social media become more depressed over time. Those who interact directly with family and friends are happier and contented. Social media also negatively affects the self-image of its users. Social media has become a hub where people post pictures of their holidays, meals, families, fantasies, and friends. The overly optimistic and unrealistic portrayal of life makes people try to compete and match others as they feel others are living successful and exciting lives (Benson & Morgan, 2015). As a result, those who cannot afford these perceived lifestyles feel deficient and inadequate. Others go to the extent of shunning their friends who they feel are more successful or try to live like their friends, leaving them in debts that leave them socially isolated.

An illusion of social connection through social media

An illusion of social connection is also provided by social media (Benson & Morgan, 2015). Despite social media giving us a platform to connect with friends, co-workers, and family, it can also give us a misguided impression that the same is shared with passing acquaintances and virtual strangers. Through these media platforms, anyone can “friend” anyone, making it dangerous as they do not know one another in person. Predators have taken advantage of these ”friendships” to harass their victims, leaving them socially isolated. Social media has also reduced intimacy. People often give attention to those who are not present than those who are present. For instance, a mother picking her child from school may be texting her friend on the phone while helping the toddler wear her coat. Or a father may be checking his emails at his son’s hockey game and miss his goal. These are just some examples of how social media has reduced the intimacy of relationships. It steals and interrupts quality time that we would otherwise spend with our loved ones. Some relationships are not as strong as they would be without social media, and this has pushed some people into social isolation (Turkle, 2011).

Conclusion

In conclusion, technology causes social isolation. People spend the majority of their time on smartphones and computers connecting with virtual friends and ignoring real friends. Social media is another technological phenomenon that has greatly contributed to social isolation. It has reduced intimacy in relationships, provided an illusion of social connection, and a negative self-image. Social isolation has further been promoted by video games. Millions of people are caught up playing video games to the extent of ignoring their professional and personal responsibilities. What technology has brought is not a real interaction that people crave for but merely socialization. Hence, we should not confuse increased connection with real interaction. Technology has led us to a world where we only value virtual relationships with ’friends’ we have never even met and shunned real relationships with our friends and families that create value. The time has come when people need to value those around them and give them all the attention they desire. Otherwise, as technological advancement continues taking root, social isolation will become a big problem to the extent of wiping out real relationships.

References

Benson, V., & Morgan, S. J. (2015). Implications of social media use in personal and professional settings. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

Townsend, P. (2017). Dark side of technology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Turkle, S. (2011). Alone together: Why we expect more from technology and less from each other. New York: Basic Books.