Category: Belonging

Does Social Media Isolate People?

Social media is designed to be, well, social. But does it actually have the opposite effect, isolating users?

People who use a social media platform do it to keep in touch with people.

You might use Facebook to keep tabs on your family, or maybe LinkedIn to see what your co-workers or others in your field are up to. You might find people who share your interests on Meetup, or perhaps you follow your favorite celebrities on Instagram. Or, alternately, you may just like watching funny videos from random strangers on Tik Tok.

Whichever platform you use, one of the frameworks commonly used is to track and display your connections. They literally display the size of your social network.

That doesn’t sound isolating at all. Just the opposite, in fact. You are plugged in to everything that is happening with the people that interest you.

The end result, though, can be quite different. While you are socially connected to people, that connection is most often just online. There is no body language, no touch, no physical interaction at all. For animals that evolved in a tribe, that lack of in-person communication can be isolating.

In addition, seeing pictures from your friends and family of their highlights might only remind you of your own shortcomings. Look at the delicious meal that you are not eating! On the vacation you are not taking! With the beautiful family that you don’t have!

On top of that, there is the possibility of doom scrolling, and being bombarded with dis- and mis-information.

How do you see this? Is social media a new way to connect with others? Or is it instead a way to make you feel more alone than ever?

Related questions: What do you get out of social media? How has social media changed your social life? Why does social media often bring out the worst in us? Can an Internet friend be a true companion?

What Reminds You That You Are Not Alone?

Despite an unprecedented ability to connect, more people than ever are reporting feelings of loneliness.  How do you combat feeling alone?

With the internet, and specifically with social media apps, in theory we are the most connected generation in human history. We have the ability to reengage with old friends on Facebook, perform career networking on LinkedIn, find groups of like-minded people on MeetUp, purchase homemade crafts from artisans on Etsy, and so on.

Celebrities or popular influencers might have millions of followers. Even non-celebrities can be connected to hundreds, thousands, or even more people.

Of course, the quality or strength of those connections can vary drastically. It is not humanly possible to interact in any meaningful way with that many people. As a result, the communication is superficial at best, and might be in one direction only.

In addition, people naturally curate their online life, and most only share the highlights. Smiling pictures while on a vacation in an exotic location. Happy news of a promotion at work. An engagement announcement. A new car, or house, or baby. Photos or videos are from flattering angles, with good lighting.

By contrast, the viewer gets the news while in the same job, living in the same house, in a seemingly unchanging life. It is only natural to feel that others are having success and doing well, while you are being left behind, alone and isolated.

So how do you fight against that? When you feel left out, what do you do?What reminders are there of your friends and loved ones? What sorts of events, virtual or in-person, help you build fulfilling, meaningful connections with other people?

Related questions: Do you feel lonely? How do you make friends as an adult? What are you doing to build community? How do you choose a hobby?

What Was The Last Group You Joined?

Some people, as they age, stick to the same routine they have had for years. Others try new things. What was the last group you joined?

Share why if you wish.

Who Do You Rely On?

No one survives in isolation. Each one of us exists in a web of people, many of which are crucial. Who do you rely on?

When you consider your life, just think about all the people whose lives intersect your own. While some of those people have very little influence on you, others are more important.

Obviously, people in your family play the biggest role. A spouse, parents, children, and on and on. These are people you might see every day or almost every day, and who you depend on for support of all kinds.

Beyond that, you likely rely on your friends as well. To maintain emotional well-being, you need to have fun, whatever that means for you. Playing games, making music, competing in (or watching) sports, etc. These are things you do with friends, and they probably play an important role in your life.

Depending on the job you have, you may spend more time with co-workers than with anyone else in your life, possibly even including family. While a job is just a way to pay the bills for some, for others a career can provide purpose and meaning. And a supervisor and co-workers can play a large part in that.

Beyond these obvious examples, there are many people who are invisible to you. The people who make it possible to put gasoline in your car to drive places. Or the meteorologist who tells you when to bring an umbrella, sunscreen, or winter boots. Perhaps the cook who makes your dinner at a restaurant, or the grocer who carries the food for you to cook.

Everywhere you go and everything you do makes you part of a large web of interconnected people. Who do you rely on, and how?

Related questions: What makes a community? Who is the most important person in your life? How do you depend on others? Who would serve on your personal board of directors?

 

 

What Brings You Spiritual Fulfillment?

There is something in the human condition that calls out for spiritual fulfillment. How do you get yours?

Throughout recorded human history, the human species has sought out spiritual fulfillment. There have always been philosophical questions that have been asked: why is our world the way it is? What happens after we die? How can I find meaning in my life? Why is there something rather than nothing?

To try to answer some of these questions, some people turned to a supernatural explanation. There might be one or more gods, that are responsible for everything.

One god might drive a flaming chariot across the sky each day that appeared to us as the sun. Another ruled over the oceans, and his temper caused the frequent storms that would toss ships hither and yon.

Or there might be just one god, like the one in the Jewish, Christian, or Islamic traditions (they all derive from the same origins). That one created the heavens and the earth, the story goes, and everything we know.

Alternately, there might be a strictly scientific approach. As we learn more about how the world works, we delve deeper and deeper into the rules for matter and how it interacts. Elements, atoms, the quantum world, and so on. This approach might answer some of the big questions, but left others untouched.

Still others choose to look inward, including meditation, or internal energy that can be harnessed or manipulated. Some cultures use mind-altering drugs as the vehicles for spiritual exploration.

How do you connect with something larger than yourself? It might mean going to a house of worship, reading a sacred text, or spending some time each day in quiet meditation. What brings you spiritual fulfillment?

Related questions: What does spirituality mean to you? Do you have a personal philosophy? Where do you find meaning in your life?