Is Technology Making You Lonely?
“The great paradox of the 21st century is that, in this age of powerful technology, the biggest problems we face internationally are problems of the human soul.” ~ Ralph Peters
I read an article in Forbes about how technology isn’t just accelerating our lives but for far too many it’s increasing the lonely factor as well. Here is a brief excerpt that I think all leaders might find helpful to read. (Let’s face it we manage a lot of lonely people and we all share a need to feel cared about and connected.) The excerpt is followed by a link to the full read…or just CLICK HERE to go THERE
Despite the fact there will always be someone, somewhere awake to “like” our latest status update - however witty or banal it may be - when it comes to friends, quantity doesn’t equal quality.
Recent studies have found that despite being more connected than ever, more people feel more alone than ever. Surprisingly, those who report feeling most alone, are those you’d expect it from least: young people under 35 who are the most prolific social networkers of all. Another recent study found that 48% of respondents only had one confidant compared to a similar study 25 years ago when people said they had about three people they could confide in. So as we have built expansive social networks online, the depth of our networks offline has decreased. So it seems that because technology makes it easier to stay in touch while keeping distance, more and more people find themselves feeling distant and never touching. Or at least not enough to avoid us feeling increasingly alone.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/womensmedia/2012/05/24/text-or-talk-is-technology-making-you-lonely/
Have a deeply connected day!
Kirk
February 13th, 2013 at 7:16 am
Fantastic thanks Kirk. Challenging, real, awesome.
Daniel
February 13th, 2013 at 8:17 am
I disagree that technology, Facebook….social networking….the internet, is making people lonely.
Our society has evolved, not necessarily in a good way, away from community and neighborhood. No one has time to more than wave a a neighbor when crossing paths nor any other communal type activity. Even when we gather in large groups….sporting events, concerts…..it is typically let me get in quickly, enjoy, and get out quickly. What percentage of participants at an NFL game tailgate? I would suspect