Is social media bringing people closer

or causing social isolation

Social media has become a significant part of our life. Many people’s
everyday income depends on these platforms. It’s a source of
entertainment and releases stress. It’s a source of communication and
interaction between friends and family as it keeps you and your loved
ones connected. As the word “social” means the interaction of the
individual and the group so “social media” is made for people to be
socially active. People tend to make online friends and have strong
bond amongst them by sharing hobbies and interests online on
platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, snapchat etc.
However, people who uses social media frequently are less social in
face to face interactions. They seems to isolate themselves from the
society. Studies have found that many online users aren’t able to turn
online interactions into “real” social relationships.

Social media hampers emotional bonds. On social media almost

everything is expressed through text which has no expressions.
Ingenuity is lost and people who used to visit each other with
greetings and hugs would now only text each other. Feelings are
conveyed through text and voice which cause lack of understanding
and thoughtfulness. Due to low level of face to face interactions sense
of humor is compromised causing the person to lose the sense of
friendship and love. All of this has a major impact on the mental
health of the person. People on social media only curate their finest
moments of life which puts a false impression on the people of
thinking how beautiful and smooth is the life of others which can lead
them to depression and anxiety.
On average kids from the age of 8-18 years old have a screen time of
5 hours per day and it becomes 40 hours per week, sitting in front of
media makes them put into many, not only physically sick put their
mental health this disturbed due to increased cyberbullying and
hacking online makes feel all alone in this world and this also
increases suicide rates. In a research it was obtained that people who
use social media too much have weak relationships as social media
has become a platform for dating and marriage, the information
required online may be false which can lead to many problems in
someone’s life such as trust issues which can also ultimately make
someone lose their confidence and become isolated due to the
depression caused.

When someone posts a picture of themselves or something on social

media they have the urge to look how many people viewed and how
many likes he or she got. Even though if the person says they don’t
care about the likes it does give them that temporary happiness
simultaneously it also makes them sad and disconnected. The more
they use the more isolated they get. Studies have shown that people
who spend more time on social media are 2 times more isolated than
other people. Impacts of social media on families have been
researched to see the positive and negative impacts on families.
Psychologists are increasingly concerned that technology is breaking
the families apart. A research shows that excess use of it can lose the
sense of safety and communication is lost as well. Children have
desired their parents to spend some quality time and interact with
them. In everyday life of a regular family, if everyone are sitting on
the dining table everyone will be texting someone else and will barely
talk to each other.

We must all try own best to get rid this social anxiety caused by
social media. According to Doctors children need less of
unidimensional technology and more of multi-dimensional and
socialization in the outside world which will enhance their
communication skill and they will be able to understand the world
with depth. If you notice that you’re saying “no” to social
engagements then it’s time to take a break from social media. People
should everyday try to power off their phones and sit with their
parents, kids or your spouse to know what kind problems and
pleasures someone else is facing and most of the times sharing with
each other makes people more understanding and trustworthy. This
can keeps friends and families better connected than just texting each
other

We can try to limit our use of social media. According to

Research published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology
that it a person’s screen time of social media is reduced to 10
minutes then he/she can get out of the felling of loneness. Most of
times when people see other posting they tend to follow which leads
them to feel insecure. If true human connection is what you value, try
to attract people who like you for you by showing the world what you
truly care about. One thing should always be remembered that social
media is just a tool used for communication so we all should always
be try to be real and focus on real time connections.
Loneliness is a painful thing and yes social media is one of the big
reasons. If you can trace it’ cause as social media then you’re half
way already there. By being social, having face to face interactions
more often, by limiting your time on social media and being authentic
anyone can get out of this isolation

It may seem like social media is totally negative but it’s actually is
very useful in many parts of life for example getting in contact to
your old friends and so but excess use of everything is bad almost
 everyone nowdays are social media addicted which everyone should
try to overcome.

References

https://www.addictionhope.com/blog/social-media-addiction-
families/
http://www.bswhealth.com/blog/social-media-making-anti-social
- :~:text=Studies%20have%20shown%20that%20people,is%20for
%20real-world%20interactions
https://www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2023/01/21/are-you-
suffering-from-social-media-induced-loneliness/?
https://www.simplilearn.com/real-impact-social-media-
articlesh=2ae1ffcd1
BY ASRA
ASIF

9C-A