Social media and the internet were once places intended to foster connection and create online communities for people to interact with one another without being physically present. But that’s just it – people are no longer physically present. We’re 20 years out from the early formative days of social media, where Myspace and Facebook were deemed as revolutionary tools that would change the world. In the decades since, the social media industry has boomed and then altered, now serving as an industry to capture user attention rather than foster human connection. To put it simply, it’s not as fun anymore.
Today’s internet is incredibly advanced and seemingly inescapable. The variety of available social media platforms and the vast quantity of content are evident of the industry’s relevance in our society. The significance of global internet and social media usage is representative of our reliance on these tools within our everyday lives. While there are numerous benefits stemming from the use of internet and the media, including greater long-distance connection, a significant increase in social media related careers, and the global exchange of ideas or information, an increasing trends in social media usage – especially among younger users – is contributing to widespread isolation and is destroying our sense of community.
But how can a place designed to create community fail miserably at doing so? It’s because these platforms serve as an illusion for connection. Passive scrolling through short form content or clicking through a distant acquaintance’s Instagram story is doing nothing to foster or develop a relationship between users. These tools instead create a space for social comparison, contributing to one of the most notorious issues associated with social media usage: declining mental health. Virtually all social media platforms suffer from these issues too. That's because the uploading of photos, the posting of generic comments, or even the sharing of videos through direct messaging are not substitutes for meaningful conversation, relating through collective interests, or the physical presence that fosters a sense of community.
But that’s what is happening: these surface level connections are serving as a replacement for in-person connection, and as users spend an increasing amount of time scrolling, they’re increasing their susceptibility to feelings of isolation – a growing concern amid recent years. Isolation stems from many factors, and it is commonly known that feelings of loneliness can develop in even the most crowded spaces. A Pew Research Center report from 2018 explored how multiple factors, including dissatisfaction with one’s social life or community, can contribute to feelings of loneliness among Americans. The report identified that 26% of respondents who felt lonely were also dissatisfied with their social life. These lack of social connections go beyond feelings or emotions, as isolation can have long-term impacts on a person’s health. According to the CDC, social isolation is connected with a multitude of health concerns including risks of heart disease, depression and anxiety, suicidality, dementia, and an association with earlier death.
That’s why it’s increasingly important that we learn how to create a sense of community that fulfills our social needs beyond social media clicks. Especially now within our divided society, fostering relationships with others can be a way to fight back against oppressive entities that rely on isolation and helplessness. Community can come from joining existing social circles, spiritual groups, arts organizations, or volunteering programs, but they can also come from the most obscure places. Community can include the people you’ve connected with in classes, or the barista you’ve become acquaintances with at the local Dunkin (trust me, they know me by name now…). Becoming a regular, as explained in an NPR article by Marielle Segarra and Mika Ellison, is a simple way to establish connections through frequent interaction and routine.
Establishing genuine connections and meaningful relationships is a skill that can take each person incredibly far in their lives and can take us incredibly far as a society. Social media isn’t doing the trick anymore, so as we navigate through high school and as some of us depart for college, we should seek community in our classes, clubs, and culture to combat isolation and change the statistics.