Essay on 'Technology is now driving us towards loneliness'
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Whether technology can be directly blamed or not, there’s no denying the fact that the world is currently in the throes of what’s being described as a “loneliness epidemic.” A 2018 survey from The Economist and the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) finds that over one fifth (22%) of US adults say they always or often feel lonely, lack companionship, or feel left out or isolated. A similar story is playing out across the pond, too, with 23% of adults in the UK responding in the same way.The findings come off the back of a separate Cigna study, which reveals that nearly half of Americans always or sometimes feel alone (46%) or left out (47%). Also last year, the UK’s BBC Radio 4 released the results of its “Loneliness Experiment,” in which it was found that a third of Britons often or very often feel lonely. Across the whole of the EU, around 30 million adults frequently feel lonely, while in Japan, an estimated half a million people shut themselves off from society, often staying in their houses for months on end.
Whether technology can be directly blamed or not, there’s no denying the fact that the world is currently in the throes of what’s being described as a “loneliness epidemic.” A 2018 survey from The Economist and the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) finds that over one fifth (22%) of US adults say they always or often feel lonely, lack companionship, or feel left out or isolated. A similar story is playing out across the pond, too, with 23% of adults in the UK responding in the same way.The findings come off the back of a separate Cigna study, which reveals that nearly half of Americans always or sometimes feel alone (46%) or left out (47%). Also last year, the UK’s BBC Radio 4 released the results of its “Loneliness Experiment,” in which it was found that a third of Britons often or very often feel lonely. Across the whole of the EU, around 30 million adults frequently feel lonely, while in Japan, an estimated half a million people shut themselves off from society, often staying in their houses for months on end.Loneliness can be severely life-altering – even life-threatening – for those who experience it. Linked with psychological problems such as alcohol and drug abuse, eating disorders and depression, the devastating effects of loneliness cannot be overstated. There is also much evidence to suggest that loneliness causes biological problems as well as psychological ones, and can even lead to death. According to figures published in the Independent, an analysis of 300,000 people in 148 studies found that loneliness is associated with a 50% increase in mortality from any cause. In other words, no matter the ailment a person may be suffering with, isolation makes it worse and renders it harder to recover from the condition. To combat the negative impacts of loneliness, people need real, in-person interactions, the authors of the Cigna study say. However, the more we rely upon technology – both at home and in the workplace – to socialize, complete daily tasks and perform work duties, the less time we spend meeting face-to-face with our friends, family, and co-workers, leading us once again to the question: Does technology make us more alone?While different studies reveal slightly different statistics, the overall trend is clear – we are indeed addicted to technology, and social media use, in particular, has skyrocketed over recent years. One report last year from GlobalWebIndex estimates that digital consumers are now spending an average of 2 hours and 22 minutes per day on social networks and messaging services. Young people – 16-24-year-olds – spend even more time, clocking up about 3 hours per day.A separate report from Nielsen reveals that when we factor in all media technology – TV, computers, radio, smartphones, tablets – US adults are spending 10-and-a-half-hours every single day consuming media. That’s 10-and-a-half hours out of every 24 zoned into a screen, not talking to anybody, not socializing, engrossed in other people’s lives instead of living our own.Social connection is a primal human need, according to BYU Psychology Professor Julianne Holt-Lunstad, one of the world’s leading researchers on social connection. Her research has uncovered that loneliness is associated with poorer cognitive performance, which can affect an individual’s ability to complete work tasks efficiently and effectively. This chimes with other research findings published in the Academy of Management Journal, which suggest that greater employee loneliness leads to poorer task, team role, and relational performance. What’s more, the phenomenon extends right up the corporate ladder. Research has found that half of CEOs report feeling lonely – and 61% of them believe it hinders their performance.
Technology is now driving us towards loneliness
Technology is getting updated day by day. The upgrading technology introduced the computer, laptop, tab, car, mobile, robot and etc to us. Most of the technologies are useful for us. These are helping us to live an easier life. But, we are getting addicted to technology. These are attracting us badly.
People forgot to talk to people, they are living in their own world, the technological world. This way people are becoming alone. In the old-time, we used to spend more time with friends and family but now they are replaced with social media.