The Social Necknoose

Everybody loves logging on to their favorite social media and seeing they'd been tagged in pictures from last weekend, getting new friend requests, and catching up with what their friends have been up to.  But what about the people that don't get tagged?  Don't receive messages?  Don't have friends to catch up with?  Every time a person such as this logs on to social media, they see a life that seems better than theirs, and it just digs the hole deeper.  Social media is a great way to connect with friends, but friends now a days might just be someone in your class who friended you that you've never actually talked to, another person you see on Facebook who looks like they are having more fun than you.  We as Americans believe that being connected is a good thing, we see it all around us.  Participation in class is key for success, social media has been created to be together when we're not near each other, bands perform together for shows, etc.  In many recent studies however, it has been unraveled that for many people social media is a medium for loneliness.  In this article, it is explained how loneliness is caused by the widening gap between people as a result of Facebook and other sites.  It also explains the negative health effects associated with depression and loneliness.  The most interesting part of the article I believe is the parallel between American culture and loneliness.  The author talks about the iconic American hero the astronaut and says, "Who is more heroic, or more alone?"  The truly American theme of independence is everywhere in society, but because of this is the byproduct of loneliness.  Facebook certainly isn't the cause of this problem, but it definitely adds to it.  So try and not over share your life so that others don't feel the need to compare themselves to you.  Facebook is for connecting with friends, so lets stop comparing and start sharing.