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Argumentative Essay: Social Media Spreading Loneliness

Social media undoubtedly is one of the most important and greatest discoveries in human history. It has made communication a lot easier. It has completely revolutionized the way that people perform operate a business, with companies/organizations running their social media accounts for interacting with their customers effectively. With access to social media, people can share their daily life events in the form of statuses and pictures with people who are thousands of miles away. With the ability and control to stay in touch with our loved ones, the quality of life in the near future seems to be rising. CITATION Hun15 \l 1033 (Hunter)

However, according to various studies, regardless of all the advantages and benefits provided by social media to the people, it has also caused many health-related issues. Despite being always connected, people are still experiencing loneliness. To completely understand the connection between social media and loneliness, we must not consider it a simple task/process. As there are numerous ways of using social media, there are multiple ways in which it may be encouraging loneliness. The ease of access may have provided us with a better opportunity to connect with each other in the digital domain, but have isolated us from the real world. According to research conducted by British Columbia University, the slight distractions from a vibrating phone could reduce the significance of the presence of an individual in a gathering. For example, if a person is at an informal gathering and spontaneously grabs his phone as he feels the notification buzzing, even if he doesn’t pursue opening the application, this short moment of distraction could cause a notion of isolation with others attending the gathering. CITATION Ali18 \l 1033 (Ali)

Social media has created an undeniable fear of getting behind and missing out among people, which makes them check for updates constantly. The mandatory requirement of logging-in can hinder one’s ability to persistent need to log-in can inhibit users’ ability to freshen up and relax. People can become more vulnerable to various health diseases due to a lack of an appropriate amount of rest. To avoid the feeling of unawareness of current news and events, people may use social media excessively, which will disconnect them from the real world. Many undesirable and unwanted news and updates can make users feel more isolated from the real world. For example, if somebody comes across a photo of his loved ones of a gathering to which he was not invited, seeing this picture could develop the feelings of separation and isolation in him. CITATION Ali18 \l 1033 (Ali)

Some common causes of loneliness created by social media include the sharing of private/humiliating information, Cyberbullying, or social rejection. However, due to the excessive use of social media, it is quite possible that people will deny the negative impression and influence of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is, however, not always communal and social. The sharing of posts that cause self-harm is increasing day by day on social media. As the research in this field is not well established and strong yet, it is not wrong to believe that the number of people who involve themselves in this self-caused digital pain may increase. CITATION Ali18 \l 1033 (Ali)

The most effective way to overcome the negative effects of loneliness is by doing face to face interactions. However, the increased dependence of the daily tasks and activities on technology and social media has significantly reduced the live interactions of people with their co-workers, friends, and family. To avoid loneliness due to the advent of social media, people at the individual level must maintain their in-person and live interactions with their peers and must try to avoid digital and text-driven communications. CITATION Bro19 \l 1033 (Brown)

Works Cited

BIBLIOGRAPHY Ali, Shainna. "Is Social Media Making You Lonely?" 5 October 2018. Psychology Today. <https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/modern-mentality/201810/is-social-media-making-you-lonely>.

Brown, Terry. "Does Technology Make Us More Alone?" 2019. IT Chronicles. <https://www.itchronicles.com/technology/does-technology-make-us-more-alone/>.

Hunter, Mordecai. "Why Social Makes Us Even More Lonely." 23 June 2015. Social Media Week. <https://socialmediaweek.org/blog/2015/06/social-media-even-lonely/>.