Does technology make us lonely?
People have been talking about their growing sense of loneliness in recent years, and about the consequences it’s having on them emotionally, particularly in terms of worsening anxiety and depression. In August of this year, Statistic Canada reported that about 15% of Canadian adults said they “always or often” felt lonely 1. CAMH reported that an equal percentage of Ontario’s adolescents also felt the same 2. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what is causing people to feel so lonely, but a variety of correlational data suggests that technology, including smart phones and social media might play key roles.
Problem behaviours can contribute to loneliness.
A recent article in the New York Times 3 provides support that technology can lead to loneliness, especially when we use it in ways that aren’t good for us (Chen, BX, Nov 10, 2024, “How tech created a ‘recipe for loneliness’”). The author noted three types of behaviours that are particularly problematic:
- Making negative comparisons about yourself when viewing people’s social media posts. Comparing yourself and your own life to what other people post online can definitely be helpful, like when it shows you how to avoid making mistakes, or when it moves you to make positive decisions, like exercising more. However, as people continue to post only the shiniest, best and most exciting aspects of their lives online, viewers naturally tend to look at themselves as not measuring up, by comparison. Being grateful for the life you have, and remembering that so much of what we see online is curated to look amazing can both help regain that clear vision.
- Over-relying on text messaging. Favouring communication via text, instead of in-person or by voice, might be creating barriers to the types of authentic connections we humans need to truly feel engaged with others. As social beings, we feel most connected when we have facial expressions, eye contact and the tone of another person’s voice to provide clues as to how they might feel about us. Human beings rely on those types of cues to actually build the ‘wiring’ in our brains and teach us how to relate to others. It’s difficult to truly show-up within relationships with only LOLs and emojis to hint at what we’re feeling. Intentionally adding face-to-face and voice calls into your communications with other people might be challenging, but it helps make communication more efficient and actually feels better.
- Spending more sedentary time, especially while streaming ‘infinite’ content. Those who spend more time watching streaming video, including binge-watching TV shows, Reels on Instagram or Facebook, and YouTube Shorts, also tend to spend more time indoors, doing little with their bodies. Data from Stats Can 4 that focused on social media use reported that around 20% of Canadian social media users between the ages 15 and 64 years reported less participation in physical activity (22%), loss of sleep (19%), and trouble concentrating (18%), compared with those who were not social media users. Twelve to 14% of those questioned also reported more problems with mood issues, irritability and envy towards others. By contrast, adults who decreased their screen time over the study period and focused their energies on other things reported “very good” or “excellent” physical and mental health. Making efforts to get outside, even for short periods, and disconnecting from tech are both useful ways to reconnect with your body and the world around you.
Technology is here to stay and brings very clear benefits to modern living. Using it as a tool, rather than as something we constantly need to plug into might help limit some of the negatives it brings.
Contact us at Shift Cognitive Therapy Oakville for CBT and other treatments that can help with anxiety, stress and depression.
Sources:
1. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=4510004801
4. https://www.statcan.gc.ca/o1/en/plus/6540-scrolling-through-social-media-stats
