Our connections through our devices and social media keep us entertained but does it keep us close with friends and family or push them away?
By Sanii Madrid
Everybody has mini computers that they take around with them everywhere. These items are now practically essential to living an everyday life. But, do cellular devices take away from the people in our lives?
People are able to stay in touch with family and friends through texting and other social media apps. It’s easy to put the blame on devices for the reason people don’t go out as much.
Technology has and will continue to change the way people interact with each other on a daily basis. Now we are able to connect with friends and family around the world at any time of the day. We are able to share our lives and experiences with everyone. That isn’t all, we’re even able to find people with common interests and make friends easily.
With all of this in mind, technology, while it does connect us to others can also lead to isolation. Social media has only been getting more and more popular by the day, the platforms give people the option to show others their lives in a more polished and perfect version of themselves for everyone.
Technology in its own way also provides and helps with loneliness. There are many online support groups and forums that help people who face similar or even the same challenges and help give each other the emotional support you both need. Some apps and platforms are designed to help with real-life meetups and events that help people create deeper connections.
Overall, yes it’s very important to understand and see that technology is not inherently bad and doesn’t inherently isolate people. It’s all up to the individual and how they choose to use the device. Technology can be a great aid for building and maintaining relationships if we use it the right way. Instead of allowing technology to take over most of our lives, we could set boundaries to prevent this from happening.
So, does technology make us more lonely? The answer is it depends on the individual. It is up to the person to make a balance between technology and their social life. Technology is a tool that can be used or abused, I would say that it is mainly abused and overly used. The impact of technology is huge and also has a big impact on our mental health and well-being.