Isolated Social Connnections

‘Isolated Social Connections’

∙By: Ramsha Memon

Year 11 A

Our modern society seems convinced that the social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter keep them connected and thriving socially with their friends, relatives and peers. Social networking sites are more likely a connection of distance relationships that appears to detach people from meaningful interactions with one another and lacking in emotional involvement. The online social world is destroying real communication, desensitizing society, and leading towards a society of people that have no idea how to actually understand and interact with the real world. People who are deeply involved in social sites are ironically often socially isolated.

Social media users who spend most of their time online on social networks and use local networks and groups in order to socialise and develop a broader range of contacts, take an active approach to their networks; rather than isolating themselves. Perhaps the strongest criticism that can be made of social media is that they deprive us of human interactions, and create virtual substitutes that maintain emotional distance. Social media is a place to interact with new people and a way to disconnect ourselves from the real world. Social networks only provide the illusion of companionship, and the kind of interactions experienced that cannot replicate the quality of interactions.  People often forget their social responsibilities while being a socially active person; in this context, we can be in the same room as someone else, but we will still be devoting our attention to our online networks. [pic 1]

The professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology; Sherry Turkle mentions in her book ‘Alone Together’, "We have invented inspiring and enhancing technologies, yet we have allowed them to diminish us." People use technology to have conversations and connections with others; which may only work for gathering, sharing information or saying what one person is thinking about the other, but it does not truly work for learning about each other, coming to know and comprehend each other. Our little devices in our pockets are so psychologically powerful that they do not only change what we do, they change who we are. We are tempted by machines that offer companionship. We expect more from technology and less from each other because technology appeals to us most, where we are most vulnerable.