How Technology Makes Us Lonely

It’s not wrong to feel lonely once in a while, but if you feel this emotion continuously, then you must not ignore it. We live in a modern technology era where we are connected to the world more than we ever were. But, ask yourself, do you have real connections or are you just connected without any connections? The latter can be terrifying, and when technology is involved, then it’s better to do something about it than just let things happen.

Loneliness on the surface might not seem a serious issue to some people, but it is always more than that. There are consequences that are not just mental, but physical as well. Let’s look at how loneliness caused by technology can be harmful.

How loneliness caused by technology can be a problem?

Before learning more about the role of technology in making us feel lonely, let’s first discuss what issues we are facing. These problems can affect your physical, mental, as well as social health. We will be looking at each issue to understand it better.

Physical health issue

If you are someone who uses technology to reach out to people and is unable to build connections, then you are more likely to feel lonely. We need personal connections in our lives and when we lack them, we feel that we are more isolated than we actually are. If this issue is not taken care of, then people are more likely to experience sleep deprivation. Unwanted thoughts occupy their mind, and lack of sleep makes it difficult for them to live normally.

All these cause stress to the body, negatively impacting physical health. In addition to this, it can also lead to weight gain or poor heart condition. And, all of them are terrible.

Here is a chart showing the obesity rate of adults in America over the years –

Mental health issue

Now we are more exposed to the world than we ever were. We have social media where anyone can post anything they want. These platforms make you think that those people out there are living their best life. Which makes you question things about yourself and your environment. This causes low self-esteem, and it makes you feel more lonely.

If this continues, then it can lead to anxiety and depression. It will impact your decision-making ability and force you to make poor decisions. Unhealthy use of social media can increase your stress level, negatively impacting your mental health.

Social health issue

Physical and mental health issue directly impacts the individuals who suffer from loneliness caused by technology, but social health impacts the people these individuals interact with. More people are switching to online modes to interact with society.

There’s nothing wrong with interacting on digital platforms, but when these interactions become meaningless, then it raises concerns. It negatively impacts their happiness level, which in turn has effects on their sense of belonging and concern for others in society.

How does technology make you feel lonely?

Have you heard about the loneliness paradox? So, it goes this way, when you connect with more people, you also start to feel more isolated. This holds true for technology. Ask yourself, does making more virtual connections make you feel less lonely in any way? Or, are you caught in a trap where you are feeling more lonely by making many meaningless connections? Now let’s look at some ways technology is making you feel this way.

Unrealistic expectations

With technology, many unrealistic expectations are put on us. How often have you heard people saying that if you have more connections, you will become successful?

Very often, similarly, there are many such expectations that make the loneliness experience much worse. No doubt, even before modern technology people felt lonely, but their expectations were much different from than ours. Now there are so-called perfect posts available on social media that make you compare your life to them and feel less happy in general.

Fake Personality

Technology has allowed people to create fake personalities and interact with others. This leads to interactions that aren’t real. People here create social masks and show people what they want them to see. There are filters that completely change the way people look. And, people use these features to highlight their fake personalities. In this process, it makes them feel more lonely as they slowly start to struggle to deal with reality. It can eventually make them feel like a stranger to their own self.

What you can do about it?

What’s better than making the most out of every situation? Why exclude loneliness, when you can turn it into something positive? When you feel lonely, you can redirect your time and efforts towards becoming self-aware.

But again, only in healthy doses, loneliness can help you become self-aware. If you feel lonely often, and you think technology might be the reason, then you should work on it. Even if you do not contribute to social media and still keep watching other’s posts, you will still end up feeling more lonely.

The most obvious thing that you can do to deal with this problem is to control the time you spend on technology. If you think you are wasting your time looking at other’s posts, then keep your device aside and think about what you are getting out of it.

Social media can be bad for you. Take time off social media and invest time interacting with people in real life. There’s no denying that we can connect with others much better in real life than we can ever do on social media.

If you work in an office or are required to use the Internet or other devices most of the time, it can be difficult for you to get some time for yourself. At that time, you can use technology itself to fight your loneliness. The methods we will be presenting to you now to help fight loneliness will work for you if you are a technology addict or someone who requires to be available on the Internet most of the time.

Connect With Your Loved Ones

Whether it is physical or virtual, connecting or chatting with your loved ones always makes you feel better. Social media apps allow you to stay in touch with your friends and family members, no matter which corner of the world you are. You get to check the status of your loved ones through their postings on social media, and you also get to share the same things with them.

But not just that, fast internet connections help you to video call with whoever you like seamlessly. Sometimes, it feels like you are sitting and chatting with them in the same room and not on screens. So, use that 5G to call your friends and family whenever you are down, and you will thank the tech.

Listen To The Radios And Podcasts

Listening to podcasts may not make you feel like sitting with your family, but it will still give you a feeling of company. Being able to listen and chat with each other on a specific topic that you find interesting can help you pass the time effectively. It is similar to listening to music and will take you out of your disturbing thoughts for a while.

There are many great podcasts and radio apps available to download and play. The Joe Rogan podcast has been one of the most popular for a few years now and discusses a variety of topics from science to philosophy. You can give it a try while feeling alone or while working if the work does not require a lot of attention.

Apart from these two popular methods, you can join an online community of like-minded people. There you can share your thoughts, and ideas, and even get some help when needed. There are many forums available on the Internet that you can try, or even look for communities on platforms like Reddit. After trying these options, you can stick to the method that works for you.

Here are some more things you can do to avoid feeling alone with the help of Technology:

Play Online Games

• Play games online with other people.
• Join a team and make new friends.
• Take part in big game events from your home.

Read with Online Book Clubs

• Join a club online to read and talk about books.
• Share what you think and hear from others.
• Choose a new book together every month.

Use Apps for Well-being

• Use apps to relax and feel good.
• Join online classes for meditation or yoga.
• Get nice messages every day to make you smile.

Remember, feeling isolated can become a major issue in the future if it is not taken care of. So, use the methods and technology that are available to you right now to stay connected with your loved ones, and importantly, with yourself.

Conclusion

Using technology mindlessly can make you feel lonely and this can weaken your immune system. In recent years, our addiction to technology has skyrocketed. People are more involved in what’s happening in other’s life than their own.

Here’s where we face problems like a constant feeling of loneliness and decreased self-esteem. If we learn to manage our addiction to our devices, we can see better outcomes. Try it for yourself, decrease your dependence on your device, and you will start to feel less lonely and can improve your life.