Student in Mount Royal University classroom being distracted by technology (Arielle O'Shea, CMRU.ca)
Technology and social media can make us feel more isolated and alone. I have found that social media can have tremendous negative affects like cyberbullying, and giving people a false sense of reality. I have experienced first-hand how this can lead to becoming isolated from society and feeling a deeper sense of loneliness.
Social media can make us want to be someone else.
I remember when I was 16 years old the pandemic had just hit. All of my classes were online, and I just sat at home all day surrounded by technology. I would join my online classes, go on social media, watch Netflix, etc… At first I loved not having anything to do or anywhere to be, but eventually I started to feel like I was alone in this world.
Even though it was lockdown, I was constantly exposed to influencers in the US, who looked like they did not have as many restrictions as we did. They were at the beach, in restaurants and at the movies, while I remained at home alone. They always looked so happy. I wished that I could be as happy as those people, and this resulted in me feeling more alone than ever.
Social media leads to cyberbullying.
When I was about 12 years old and my sister was 16 she had a social media app called AskFM. AskFM was an app where you would post a picture of yourself and people would comment and tell you if they found you attractive or not. I recall her getting some rude messages about her appearance from some anonymous people on this app, and that just made her feel worse about herself and lowered her self-esteem.
In the real-world, there would be no tolerance for bullying or hate speech. However, social media brings a sense of anonymity to people which makes them say hateful things that they would never say in person.
Technology isn’t all bad.
Although social media can isolate a person technology does have some benefits. One major benefit of technology is that it connects us to people in all different parts of the world. This came in handy when my boyfriend went back home to Belgium for four months during the summer.
Even though communicating online isn’t the same as being together in person, being able to text and Facetime everyday helped me feel like we were still together in a sense. I could still see what he was doing even if we were on opposite sides of the world.
The harms of technology.
Technology can be very beneficial for things like communicating with a loved one on the other side of the world. However, I have experienced constantly being on my phone and on social media, and it became quite harmful and addictive. Whether that’s from watching influencers and celebrities lives or from receiving hateful messages on social media, technology can make you feel isolated and alone.
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