I agree that other forces are at work behind the rise of loneliness and alienation in modern society, but I think Facebook exacerbates these problems. Facebook

I agree that other forces are at work behind the rise of loneliness and alienation in modern society, but I think Facebook exacerbates these problems. Facebook ultimately encourages you to carry out social interactions online with people who aren't physically present. It's very easy and convenient and next thing you know your eyes are glued to your phone so often that it starts to replace physical interactions. You go out and spend half your time texting instead of talking to the people you're with, or maybe you stop going out at all. But we are animals after all, not buckets of bits, and physical presence matters. It directs attention, priorities, investment, it gives people unique opportunities to bond. Anyone who's had a long distance relationship can tell you that they're fraught with challenges because you just don't get to spend a lot of time together. So maybe socializing in cyberspace, while it has advantages, simply doesn't have all the benefits it has in meatspace. For my part I now put meatspace connections first, and aside from work, my calendar revolves around meeting other actual humans in person. Even if we don't share all the same interests, maybe even if they get on my nerves a little, I lived most of my social life online for a long time, and I like meatspace better. My Facebook usage waxes and wanes and I don't feel it makes me depressed--but if Facebook relationships were all I had, I'd be practically suicidal. I think that FB is a crutch and a mild vice. And like all vices, the solution is to replace them with something positive.