Together in Loneliness

Nowadays technology is everywhere. Slowly we have become more and more dependent on all of our gadgets and gizmos. However, have you ever taken a moment to stop and think how technology is effecting our social interactions and relationships? Well the video below presents a number of thought-provoking points about how conversations are merely becoming connections and how we are all becoming lonely together.

This short video is based off a TED Talk given by Sherry Turkle. Her talk below goes into more depth on the specific mechanisms that are creating loneliness amongst so many Americans. She touches upon not only how we have gotten to this point, but she even goes on to explain the steps we need to take to reverse this social impediment.

I wanted to blog about this because I feel that the real first step we all need to take is to open up our eyes to the situation. While I had briefly thought about this situation in the past, it wasn't until I watched these videos that I fully understood the magnitude of this social problem. And whether people admit it or not, I believe we have all experienced the feeling of being lonely together.

I joke with my roommates that they are always scrolling (which we have termed for when you are looking through your facebook news feed, or twitter statuses, etc. and only giving half your attention to the other people in the room). But the truth is, it's not just them who are always on their phones or computers. When I go to dinner in the campus center, sometimes I see whole tables that are all sitting with each other but none of them are talking to each other. Instead, they are all on their phones.

I think that innovation in technology is wonderful. I'm grateful that I have gotten to grow up in a time of computers. However, I feel that we need to better know how to integrate technology into our lives in a way that can fully maximize its potential to help us reach our goals.