Since the dawn of time, there have been great achievements that have helped mankind progress. The first thing that comes to mind is the invention of the wheel. While this invention was a turning point in history, there have been quite a few life altering changes in the past decade. Computers and the internet have affected the 21st century tremendously. There have been new and upcoming social media sites and networking groups that can connect people from all over the world.
However, the question to be asked here is has the invention of all these networking sites lead to expansion of a person’s network or has it lead to a person being more isolated? This paper demonstrates the relationship between rise in social media and isolation. With this in mind, the advantages and disadvantages of social networking will be explored. The evidence shows that social media does in fact lead to more loneliness than expansion of networks.
James, Rob. “Does Social Media Create Social Isolation or Unity? Graham Jones. ” Graham Jones. 17 Dec. 2012. Web. 15 Sept. 2015. In this article, Rob James outlines the pros and cons of social media. The article starts off with the negative aspect of social media i. e. how it creates isolation. He discusses about how social media deprives people of human interaction and instead creates virtual substitutes. In addition, he talks about Sherry Turkle’s views on social media which examine how feelings of loneliness are exacerbated by being online too much.
Lastly, James discusses Stephen Marche’s views on the topic which emphasize that social networks are full of contradictions; making users connected although not creating genuine relationships. Furthermore, James talks about the positive effects of social media; how people use social media to develop their networks more. He discusses the right management of social media; how using it selectively and making the most of networks to meet friends can encourage a stronger sense of unity. This source was chosen because it gives a good argument between the pros and cons of social media.
It provides examples as well as views of other authors; it cannot be denied that social networking, despite its advantages and disadvantages can be used for a variety of functions. Hampton, Keith, Lauren Goulet, Eun Ja Her, and Lee Rainie. “Social Isolation and New Technology. ” Pew Research Center Internet Science Tech RSS. 3 Nov. 2009. Web. 15 Sept. 2015. Social Isolation and New Technology adds new insights to the ongoing debate about the extent of social isolation in America due to social networking.
This report argues about how the social ties supported by new technologies are relatively weak; not the strong, locally based ties that tend to be a part of peoples’ core discussion network. Moreover, this report examines how closely related the rise of isolation is to the increased usage of internet and mobile phones. In addition to this report, more evidence is provided in the form of survey results. However, these results show that Americans are not as isolated as previously reported. Instead, peoples’ use of newer technology has lead to a larger and more diverse discussion network.
This source was chosen because it provides concrete data on the relation between rise of social networks and social isolation. Furthermore, this report compares old data to the new one and analyzes how the growth of technology has affected isolation. In conclusion, it also shows that the use of social networks does not completely lead to isolation. Jin, Borae. “How Lonely People Use And Perceive Facebook. ” Computers In Human Behavior 29. (2013): 2463-2470. ScienceDirect. Web. 15 Sept. 2015. This report examines the relationship between isolation and usage of a social media site (Facebook).
For this study, an online survey of 300 Facebook users was conducted. Results revealed that socially isolated people tend to engage themselves in negative disclosure more than positive disclosure. Moreover, this study showed that people who viewed Facebook as more useful for self disclosure and social connection were less satisfied with it than their counterparts. Furthermore, studies from this report examined how certain individual characteristics were associated with the use of certain technologies; for example, shy people may get bolder when they are online.
This source was chosen because it analyzes how Facebook and loneliness are related to each other. It fits the research question perfectly. Although this study faced the challenge of different factors accounting for more diverse networks, it used the system of regression analysis to overcome this obstacle; a process in which certain factors such as age, gender and education were taken as a constant and surveys were conducted by comparing the social networks of people who use certain technologies with demographically similar people who don’t. Diego, Miguel, et al.
The Relationship of Internet use to Depression and Social Isolation among Adolescents. ” Adolescence 35. 138 (2000): 237. Academic OneFile. Web. 15 Sept. 2015. In this study of the relationship between internet use and depression among adolescents, 89 high school seniors were asked to submit a questionnaire that measured how often they used the Internet as well as relationships with family members. Different factors were measured using different scales; Intimacy scale for relationships, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Depression and so forth.
This report has proven that after one to two years of increased internet usage, associations with family members had decreased. In addition, participants experienced increased loneliness and depression. This increase in loneliness was majorly seen in the youth. As a result of this study, it was shown that high internet users was related to weaker social ties, while low internet users reported better relationships with their family members.
This source was chosen in particular because it had strong evidence to prove that increased usage of social media and internet lead to loneliness. Moreover, this study had considered a variety of adolescent groups to conduct the survey; the age group that uses technology the most is adolescents. In conclusion, it was shown that a high level of internet use was related to less optimal ratings on both relationship and depression scales.
