Lonely in a Connected World

In every conversation, it feels as if we prescribe mental health jargon. In a world where we are told to speak, share, and feel more, we have never felt lonelier. Did we miss something? Have we lost something, or have we simply lost the ability to be deep?

Reading the New York Times, I came across an article that spoke about the loneliness epidemic. In a world where we are more connected than ever, there is a feeling of isolation. People lack the connection and community they once experienced or long for. Interestingly, the word "community" was explored.

Over the years, we have introduced more technology into our lives and become more efficient. We have eroded the things we used to create community around. In developing technology that helps us connect, we have become less willing to put effort into physically seeing someone.

Whenever you need to tell a friend something, you phone them. Whenever you need to capture a moment, you take a photo. If you need help learning about something, you ask Google. Note how this has changed from the past.

When you needed to tell a friend something, you had to physically allocate time in your day, go over, and spend time with them. It required effort and engagement. Along the way, you met people who partook in the journey. Similarly, if you ever needed to capture a moment and retell it, you would rely on your memory, and you would be the person to tell the story. Instead, we substitute our camera rolls and feeds for discourse. Worst of all, by Googling things, we never unpack where we source our information from or test whether we are sharing in the same information networks. Instead of relying on people or ourselves to engage in conversation and experience, we rely on our phones.

Now, generations are growing less talkative and unable to engage in small talk. Steve Bartlett was asked by a person at a conference, “How can I make friends?” At that moment, he said the person should have turned to their left or right and introduced themselves. Though an easy fix, it does not engage with the reality that the person on the other side may want to be unbothered, kept in their small world on their phone.

Rarely do we think of friendship as an active investment and commitment to people, but it is. Unless the other person is interesting or willing to reciprocate the same energy, it may be hard. But this is not to say that we should stay on our phones. Rather, it means a simple approach will not necessarily change the culture.

Around the world, countries grapple with the long-term effects of social media, and mental health issues continue to be on the rise. It is important that we do not get lost in the jargon and forget our people, our community, and most importantly, ourselves.