Student Spectrums

It’s unique how we live in a time where people can connect with each other easily, yet many people, including myself, feel more isolated than ever. Technology is a way for people to get closer but also grows us further apart at the same time. Every day, I wake up to that same familiar glow of my phone screen. I scroll through notifications, texts, and photos all before even making my bed. It is a modern way for me to stay connected but I wonder if it’s really connecting me at all. While technology has great advantages, it also creates an invisible distance between them and their family which only becomes identifiable when they have no one close to them.

When I’m texting my friends or scrolling through social media, I often feel like I am a part of my friend’s experiences. There’s a sense that everyone is out there, living their lives, sharing their experiences and I’m right there with them. But truthfully, I’m not. Sure, I can see what my friends are doing, but it’s not the same. I can’t feel the happiness that they feel in that picture. I can’t experience the excitement in their tone when they are texting about their day. Reading a friend’s story  through text is just pixels on screen and while you might be texting them “lol”, are you really actually smiling behind the screen? “It’s like eating junk food, it fills you up for a bit, but still leaves you unsatisfied and craving for more”. 

Many experts have also studied this situation. According to a 2017 study by the American Journal of Preventive Evidence, people who spend more time on social media platforms report higher levels of loneliness. It’s odd, we use these platforms to stay connected with others, yet we end up feeling further isolated. Paying attention to what others post and comparing it to our reality only adds to our detachment. I know when I see someone posting about their “perfect” life on social media, I can’t help but feel like I’m missing out on these ‘perfect’ moments in life. 

What’s worse is that technology has also changed how we interact with one another. I have noticed that even when I’m hanging out with my friends, everyone’s attention is either divided between the conversation or their phones. It’s like we are physically together but mentally miles apart. Sometimes, we’ll all be on our phones scrolling on social media, and if we find something interesting, we’ll share it with each other but that’s it. This leads to conversations becoming fragmented and distracted. In some way, there’s a sense of absence even when we are all sitting together.

At the end of the day, I’m not saying technology only has negative aspects. It is undeniably very useful in many ways and has improved our lives immensely. Technology lets me talk to my cousins even while being 7 oceans away from them. But technology is like a double-edged sword and can usually be a way of wasting time you could have spent doing something more productive.

In a world where we can easily connect with others, it’s important to ask ourselves: Are we actually connecting like we want to?