Are people lonelier now than ever before?

Hi all

A friend of mine at work made this comment and I thought I would post it here to see what others think.

He said why is it, that we are surrounded with technology. Many people have phones and/or the internet and can talk with anyone anywhere and at any time. Why is it that with technology allowing more people to be in contact with each other, that more people than ever feel lonelier?

Here is my take on it.

In my opinion he is kinda right. I have quite a few friends on my msn contact list / myspace etc. Trouble is, I hardly know any of them in real life. Sure I can talk to a friend of mine in the US and get a response within seconds, but does that make me feel less lonely? No.

The reason being is because when it comes to friends, nothing beats them being there with you in person. Picture this, if you have say 50 'internet friends' who live many miles away or even in another country and you are sad about something, would you rather have many of them try to talk to you and help you, or would you rather have one or two friends who you know in real life, come round to see you and hug you?

Any thoughts on this?

 

I mean I'd rather sit face to face with people definitely, but don't you think it's pretty freaking great to be able to talk to anyone anywhere in the world..? I don't know about the "lonelier" part since I am one who likes to be alone so don't think I can answer that fairly...

 

humans are social creatures, and despite our brains being developed enough to understand that the person with whom we're communicating by text over the internet is a real live person, I doubt anything will ever replace face to face interaction.

if you use the internet as a substitute for actual social interaction, you will inevitably develop feelings of loneliness, depression, or what have you. the internet should be used to supplement regular activities, not replace them.

in this modern era of incredible technology, it is more important then ever, I think, to get back to our roots and enjoy the simple things our world has to offer.

 

Wow jimster if this was a term paper I'd stamp with an A+ and give you a sticker as well..

 

SUMMED IT UP JUST NICELY.......


Cheers Glen.

 

I am able to talk to a friend from high school who moved to Australia years ago...I would never have even known that if not for the internet.

I have made friends in different countries. That is pretty nifty...

I'm not lonely, I am actually pretty busy most of the time.

 

I'd give him lots and lots of stickers...

 

hooray! stickers and good grades! that's a first. unless you count the vomit-face stickers my 1st grade teacher used to put on my submissions.

 

Are people lonelier now than ever before ?
I'd say yes, but I dont know what it was like before.
But yes.

 

Oh and I'm not aiming for an A+ and a sticker.

 

that's great...

 

I just want to pass...

 

Most of my friends moved away so the internet has helped me keep in touch with them. I'm not lonlier....but then again I'm antisocial and tend to prefer to be alone.

 

I do too... People don't really understand that about me, they think I must be depressed or lonely, but I am not. I am completely comfortable to be alone by myself most of the time. It's a great way to get to know yourself and to feel connected with who you are. I don't need handfuls of people surrounding me to make me feel whole, I have my brain, my thoughts and that is what makes me feel whole. I like meeting people and hanging out but not all the time. I love doing things alone too and again, people think I must be a loser, not really because I don't need people to make me happy, I make myself happy.

I like the internet because I can type words to people who are else where in the world and it is great. I do love talking face to face with people more, but if I can't do that, well, then the net is better than nothing at all...

 

i don't know about lonelier now than ever... but this may be the loneliest since the industrial revolution...


before that, most people lived on farms so they would rarely see anyone outside their families... then everyone moved to the city so there was all kinds of social interaction all around... and now people just sit inside on their computers, so again they don't see anyone but their families, although they still usually have to venture out for work, which allows them to see more people than their 17th century counterparts...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55nTwg5NIPM

 

You can't really judge someone else's quality of life...different does not mean worse.

What does "than ever before" mean? Pioneer times? Cave men times? I'd say those people were more lonely than us. Communication was a long process.

 

They should bring back Telegrams...

 

Jimmy basically hit the nail on the head.

But maybe there is more to it. It is the advance of technology which has made people more reliant on 24hour contact. Before the advent of the internet and the personal phone, it was seen as quite normal to have a day or two without social interaction apart from family and maybe workmates.

But these days, people complain of a feeling of being cut off from the world if they have to spend a day without their phone; so it goes to say that if their phone doesn't ring for a day, they will feel left out/alone.

So basically, I think that people feel lonely easier than in previous times.

 

I went almost a year before I got a phone at my old apartment where I use to live plus I had no interenet either..it was nice, well, didn't think anything of it to really think about it..

I think it is just different from person to person.. What I might consider enjoyment others might view as solitude... And probably visa-versa...