The Link Between Social Media and Loneliness

There is no denying that social media has changed the way in which we communicate with others. With social media, it’s easy to share photographs with friends and to voice opinions online, connecting with other people around the world can be done in seconds and news can be shared with just a few clicks. However, this doesn’t mean that social media is all positive. There is a downside to the increased reliance on social media in that it could lead to loneliness.

Could Social Media Be Making You Lonely?

Whether you use social media to keep in touch with friends or use it to see what your favourite celebrities are up to, there is no denying that we all spend a lot of time browsing a variety of different social media platforms. Social media has already been linked to increased distractibility and trouble sleeping, but there’s now a big discussion surrounding social media is linked to loneliness. You may initially assume that there is no way social media could be linked to loneliness, not when so much time online is spent talking and connecting to others.

Those who spend a lot of time on social media have reported feeling lonely, depressed, disengaged and isolated. There are a number of reasons for this. A social media notification could cause someone to become distracted when they are spending time with friends and family. Rather than enjoying the present and embracing being surrounded by loved ones, a social media notification can lead to a disconnection from the moment.

When someone spends a lot of time on social media, any time away from it may cause them to experience a fear of missing out. This could lead to them checking for updates when they are in social situations, which again can lead to a disconnection from the moment. There’s also the fact that social media highlights what other people are doing. Whether they are having a fantastic holiday or hanging out with friends if an individual wasn’t invited there’s an immediate feeling of being excluded. The feeling of exclusion can be difficult to deal with. 

How Do We Fix This?
You can put your house on the fact that social media, phones, and technology are here to stay. It’s now incumbent on society and CEOs of the social media platforms to figure out how we can use them to minimise the damaging effects.

Although the answer will not be straight-forward, the answer will lie in the limitations that need to be put in place. Similar to the tobacco industry, we have included additives into social media to make it more addictive, and it leaves people wanting more and more. Like almost everything that humans have created and abused, we have formed social media to be addictive. Its instant gratification is what hooks people. FOMO is what hooks people. Clickbait is what hooks people.

For us to fix this mess, we have to put limitations on social media. But that’s for the future. If you want a quick fix (and if you’re addicted to social media and technology, that’s exactly what you want), set a time limit on your phone about how much time you spend on social media. You can do this through the settings on your phone. This way, once you’ve hit your limit, you will be blocked from accessing any social media apps (unless you take the limit off obviously).