I came across a youtube video with the caption “POV: An evening routine of a childfree, friendless single woman”.I clicked on it. It was an extremely aesthetic video, a warm and cozy studio apartment where this young lady unwinds for the day, does a bunch of self care routines, cooks a meal and eats alone. Then she cuddles up on her couch with a nice book or even a show to watch on and goes to bed. Seems pretty harmless content, right?
Then the algorithm caught up and my feed was full of similar content by the next day. When I did a digging about this it made me realise this is a new ongoing social media trend and these specific influencers are called, “Loneliness Influencers". They are basically romanticizing isolation and remote atomised lives, that is where the problem starts. We as humans are a social animal, we need that group or social connection to lead a healthy and rich life.
In recent times we all must have come across the silent epidemic of loneliness that is emerging out of urban cities mainly. This has become a highly concerning public health issue. If we shut off all personal connections, studies have shown that there is a huge chance of you losing your cognitive skills, even this can lead to social anxiety and depression. The has been a meta analysis conducted on how loneliness influence suicide rate and the result are alarming.
In this fast paced world *Smartphones, social media, virtual reality and AI are all named in the US Surgeon General’s 2023 report as technologies that can erode social connection.*By living increasingly in virtual worlds, we may be damaging our relationships in the real world.
Technology cannot be fully blamed in this situation as it has helped bring many long lost connections back. Technology is a double edged sword and using it wisely and most importantly in a disciplined way can be a solution
Absolutely! Social media has become a medium that caters to the specific needs of a person. It’s what the algorithm catches; our interests are caught by the machine – MACHINE! – and engages with us. Obviously, we find it entertaining, engaging, or something that’s a comfort spot for us because, at the end of the day, it’s like a reflection of our own interests being projected back to us. People are failing to, and not preferring, human conversations and engagement because they can’t wrap their heads around someone with different perspectives and interests. Social media has so slyly managed to create this bubble of comfortable topics/content that matches our frequency, but human engagement is different, and people suddenly fail to catch that shift.
A person can feel lonely because he/she may also feel disconnected from themselves. An individual can feel lonely in spite of people around them. humans have a need to belong. But Loneliness is drastically increasing. I think more people should come up with social clubs and places where people feel connected and where there is joy
Yes, same technology that brought lost connections might become the reason we lose connections in real life.We cant blame technology as we should be aware of the difference of real life connections and virtual ones.
Absolutely true! Technology really is a double-edged sword. It’s wild how social media can package something as painful as chronic isolation and make it look cosy with warm lighting and a soft acoustic soundtrack. There’s a massive difference between enjoying healthy alone time and completely withdrawing from society.
Day by day there is a lose of communication between the individual in one way or other and i think the main reason could be a decline in patience towards other, and where we feel like living alone is better than living with bunch of people and then there SOCIAL MEDIA plays the biggest role!
Interesting perspective. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying solitude, but the concern begins when isolation is consistently romanticized as a substitute for meaningful human connection. Technology should help us stay connected, not replace real-world relationships. The key is balance—valuing personal space while also nurturing genuine social bonds that support long-term mental and emotional well-being.