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welcome to the modern world! the media and other influences have done a great job in driving a wedge between all different types of people to the point that wer

welcome to the modern world! the media and other influences have done a great job in driving a wedge between all different types of people to the point that were all barely able to communicate let alone socialise or possibly make friends

tasticanal 8y ago
This. We think we socialise through apps, but in reality we are really alone.
- finaliteration 8y ago
  I definitely think that it makes being alone more painful. I stopped using Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat almost a year ago, and I just shut down Instagram about two months ago. It made me realize how much more I focused on how lonely I felt because I saw all of these interactions but it never felt like I was connected or intimate with anyone. I’m still lonely and spend a lot of time alone, but it doesn’t feel like it’s taunting me and driving me towards suicide out of despair.
yaps8 8y ago
It is really not the tone of the article: > There is a common stereotype that loneliness mainly strikes older, isolated people - and of course it can, and does. But the BBC survey found even higher levels of loneliness among younger people, and this pattern was the same in every country. > It's tempting to conclude that something about modern life is putting young people at a higher risk of loneliness, but when we asked older people in our survey about the loneliest times in their lives, they also said it was when they were young. > There are several reasons why younger people might feel lonelier. The years between 16 and 24 are often a time of transition where people move home, build their identities and try to find new friends. > Meanwhile, they've not had the chance to experience loneliness as something temporary, useful even, prompting us to find new friends or rekindle old friendships - 41% of people believe that loneliness can sometimes be a positive experience.
cyborgx7 8y ago
Friends aren't profitable. You are much easier to be exploited if you are by yourself.
- icebraining 8y ago
  Anecdotally, the people I know who socialize (IRL) the most also spend the most, often into debt. Friends pull you into expensive activities, provoke a need of one-upmanship, etc. Whereas the people who give up "the race" are often loners. (This is not an argument against having friends, mind you!) Of course, it could be argued that social networks are a way to re-engineer "friendships" so that they provoke the spending part (looking good on the feed, winning in stupid games, etc) without giving the satisfaction that one might get from just spending time with them.
  - cyborgx7 8y ago
    >Of course, it could be argued that social networks are a way to re-engineer "friendships" so that they provoke the spending part (looking good on the feed, winning in stupid games, etc) without giving the satisfaction that one might get from just spending time with them. I'm actually seing similar strategies employed all over the place. Ever brand wants to build a "community" around them. But they are not doing anything to foster the connection between members. Because if the members formed connections they could act in solidarity with eachother and actually gain some amount of power through collective action. No, the only part of "community" they foster is the loyalty aspect. Loyalty to the brand. Because that is the part that is profitable.
- gaspoweredcat 8y ago
  very true, not that friends dont exploit us too, its just done in more subtle ways so you often dont notice it. but i have a very different way of looking at the world than most

tasticanal 8y ago

This. We think we socialise through apps, but in reality we are really alone.

finaliteration 8y ago
I definitely think that it makes being alone more painful. I stopped using Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat almost a year ago, and I just shut down Instagram about two months ago. It made me realize how much more I focused on how lonely I felt because I saw all of these interactions but it never felt like I was connected or intimate with anyone. I’m still lonely and spend a lot of time alone, but it doesn’t feel like it’s taunting me and driving me towards suicide out of despair.

yaps8 8y ago

It is really not the tone of the article: > There is a common stereotype that loneliness mainly strikes older, isolated people - and of course it can, and does. But the BBC survey found even higher levels of loneliness among younger people, and this pattern was the same in every country. > It's tempting to conclude that something about modern life is putting young people at a higher risk of loneliness, but when we asked older people in our survey about the loneliest times in their lives, they also said it was when they were young. > There are several reasons why younger people might feel lonelier. The years between 16 and 24 are often a time of transition where people move home, build their identities and try to find new friends. > Meanwhile, they've not had the chance to experience loneliness as something temporary, useful even, prompting us to find new friends or rekindle old friendships - 41% of people believe that loneliness can sometimes be a positive experience.

cyborgx7 8y ago

Friends aren't profitable. You are much easier to be exploited if you are by yourself.

icebraining 8y ago
Anecdotally, the people I know who socialize (IRL) the most also spend the most, often into debt. Friends pull you into expensive activities, provoke a need of one-upmanship, etc. Whereas the people who give up "the race" are often loners. (This is not an argument against having friends, mind you!) Of course, it could be argued that social networks are a way to re-engineer "friendships" so that they provoke the spending part (looking good on the feed, winning in stupid games, etc) without giving the satisfaction that one might get from just spending time with them.
- cyborgx7 8y ago
  >Of course, it could be argued that social networks are a way to re-engineer "friendships" so that they provoke the spending part (looking good on the feed, winning in stupid games, etc) without giving the satisfaction that one might get from just spending time with them. I'm actually seing similar strategies employed all over the place. Ever brand wants to build a "community" around them. But they are not doing anything to foster the connection between members. Because if the members formed connections they could act in solidarity with eachother and actually gain some amount of power through collective action. No, the only part of "community" they foster is the loyalty aspect. Loyalty to the brand. Because that is the part that is profitable.
gaspoweredcat 8y ago
very true, not that friends dont exploit us too, its just done in more subtle ways so you often dont notice it. but i have a very different way of looking at the world than most