Introduction
Modern technologies make it possible to communicate interactively with other people all around the globe, despite distances and time zones-related differences. Nowadays the Internet has already become a ‘background part’ of everyday life, penetrating a variety of communication-related areas, such as work, entrepreneurship and interpersonal relations. Instant messaging and self-reporting are especially important for modern children, who perceive these phenomena for granted, along with telephones and TV sets (Kraut et al. 1017-1018)
Moreover, the Internet significantly increased cooperation opportunities for colleagues, living in different cities and countries, brought together the representatives of different cultures (e.g., via special interest groups) and even provided multiple opportunities for the development of democracy (e.g., e-governance, launching revolts and protests). The Internet and social media also created an unlimited space for formal and non-formal education, learning languages, traveling and working worldwide, providing people with an opportunity to become ‘citizens of the world’.
The role the Internet and digital communication tools play in modern life provides for significant impact the use of the above tools exerts on social life and relations. Despite the fact that the presence of impact itself is doubtless, its volume and scope remain under-researched, especially with respect to its influence on an individual’s mental health and psychological wellbeing (especially, with respect to such issues as loneliness, depression and social isolation). While some pieces of empirical research stipulate that the Internet and social media are excellent tools to maintain relations and sustain one’s emotional wellbeing, others
Thesis statement
In the view of the above, it is suggested that the use of Internet and related digital communication tools has double-fold impact on one’s mental health and psychological wellbeing. In the vast majority of cases the use of modern technologies may lead to the worsening of an individual’s mental health (e.g., an increase in the prevalence of depression and related health conditions) and psychological wellbeing (e.g., feeling lonely). However, in specific cases digital communication tools may serve as a relief for people, who lack face-to-face communication due to specific limitations, such as age or disability.
Argumentation
Referring to the clear link between the use of technology and loneliness, one can argue that modern empirical research and related meta-analyses tend to prove strong negative impact the use of the Internet has on existing interpersonal links. Several studies, stemming from the beginning of the previous century, proved the link between the use of Internet technologies and loneliness, as well as a neglectful attitude to existing social links (Kraut et al 1017) (Bargh&McKenna 582-583) . The above link is considered to stem from multiple factors, such as one’s associating the Internet with an opportunity to establish new social links and spending less time on face-to-face communication.
As time is a ‘limited commodity’, people tend to communicate on the Internet at the expense of face-to-face communication, being unaware about the fact that the lack of shared experiences and memories will evidently lead to loneliness and dissatisfaction with communication (Bargh&McKenna 583).
While it is scientifically proved that the time one spends on the Internet leads to insufficient amount of face-to-face interactions with existing friends and even neglectful attitude to such friends, it is rather hard to sustain friendships, established via social networks (Prezza 688). Early studies of the nature and characteristics of online friendship, conducted in the early and mid-1990s showed that online friendship was to great extent similar to the offline one. Moreover, a considerable number of individuals reported that they managed to establish long-lasting friendly relations with people that they learnt via the Internet.
A significant degree of anonymity, ensured by the Internet, provides for the fact that many Americans share important concerns with non-kin individuals online. At the same time, communication-related anonymity and a continuous strive for the broadening of social networks leads to the fact that the Internet-based friendships tend not to be long-lasting and have fewer chances for the establishment of sustainable contact than the relations, based on face-to-face contact.
Furthermore, anonymity leads to a considerable degree of fraud that occurs, when individuals attempt to make new contacts via the social networks. For instance, while many women (especially, divorced and widowed) view social networks as a chance to get to know men and establish romantic relations with them, men may consider social networking as a path to casual sex. An experience of disillusionment and expectations’ mismatch may result in the fact that individuals would feel much lonelier than they were before looking forward to establishing the new lasting relations with the help of social networking.
Thirdly, the excessive use of social networks can evidently lead to strong loneliness, coupled with the feeling of one’s inferiority. The reason for that is that people tend to post only good new to their social networks and may also exaggerate their successes and happiness to enhance their own self-appraisal, simultaneously exerting negative impact on the way others perceive themselves. The above phenomenon is especially visible in case of pictures, made during travels. If an individual stays online and sees multiple people he/she knows, having fun together, he/she may evidently feel lonely. Similarly, if one stays online with no considerable successes or attractive experiences to depict to friends, he/she may compare him/her to others and feel lonely, as well as not satisfied with his/her life. As social networks allow individuals create and depict the pictures of their lives the way they would like to do so, envy, dissatisfaction and loneliness serve as the ‘dark side’ of such public depictions.
Last, but not least, it is worth not forgetting an extent to which interpersonal communication, involving body language and body contact is important for an individual. Eye-to-eye, eye-to-body and body-to-body contacts are proven to be essential for feeling not lonely, but happy. Toddlers can even have health issues, when they are not touched enough. While children and teenagers already develop immunity with regard to such issues and can spend significant amounts of time alone, they still require the above types of contact. It is not surprising that similar refers to adults. The lack of face-to-face communication with existing friends and acquaintances and the difficulties related to establishing new sustained relations can easily lead to the fact that an individual would lack close relations, despite the alleged broad social networks.
The above paragraphs presented four basic arguments in favour of the existence of a strong link between the use of technological advancements and one’s feeling of loneliness. At the same time, scientific evidence contains examples of digital communication’s helping to counter loneliness and social isolation. Several cases of such kind find their reflection in empirical research.
First of all, digital communication can become a window to another world for the elderly, especially those, who stay in nursing home and/or have physical health issues, preventing them from interacting with others face-to-face. According to the empirical study, conducted by Hagan et al., the use of new technologies helps senior citizens counter the feelings of loneliness and may even serve as a means of psychological relief along with a therapeutic intervention (690-691). As it was formulated by the authors, there is still a significant room for researching the ways to integrate digital communication into the process of providing psychological aid to seniors.
Secondly, everyday technological tools can help disabled individuals to counter the lack of communication and loneliness in multiple ways. The simplest way is that they make communication open to disabled individuals, who have few opportunities to enjoy face-to-face interactions (especially those with mobility issues). Moreover, tablets are nowadays becoming an important tool for individuals, having issues with speaking, as well as language therapists, who work with such people. Voice control functions of modern smartphones help individuals, who have learning-related issues (e.g., dyslexia). This function is also of enormous benefit for people, who have visual impairments. While the links between autism and loneliness are complicated, modern technologies can help those, suffering from autism, get used to everyday communication via specific applications. Access to communication technologies is essential for people with disabilities, and significantly helps them get successfully integrated into a society.
Finally, the use of digital technologies alleviates distance-related issues for families, who stay apart due to different reasons (e.g., work, studies, volunteering in another country). Particularly modern communication technologies (e.g., instant messaging, Skype) help transborder families keep together and sustain links, despite distances. The sustainability of communication is a crucial factor that helps individuals not feel lonely in case they stay in different countries. The above examples testify to the fact that modern technologies can not only facilitate the feelings of loneliness, depression and social isolation, but serve as crucial means for countering the above phenomena in specific groups.
Conclusion
The above research demonstrates that digital communication tools tend to exert double-fold impact on the phenomena of loneliness, depression and social isolation. On the one hand, the overuse of social media leads to loneliness and isolation due to four major reasons. Firstly, individuals start to spend less time with their families and neglect existing links, being too excited about new friends from the Web. Secondly, friendships that start from online communication may be unreliable due to anonymity issues and, thus, lead to the feelings of disillusionment and loneliness. Thirdly, social networks serve as an important space for creativity, where people tend to manifest their lives the way they would like them to be perceived by others. An excessive amount of friends’ and acquaintances’ happiness and success stories can result in an individual’s feeling envious, irritable and lonely. Finally, broad online networks lack the elements, serving as tools, preventing loneliness (e.g., eye contact, touches etc.)
On the other hand, digital communication can help specific groups of people to counter loneliness. It may serve as an element of psychological rehabilitation for senior citizens, providing them with a new window to the world. Similar can be said about people with disabilities, such as mobility issues, as well as visual, hearing and learning impairments. Finally, digital technologies are crucial for sustaining transborder families.
Works cited
Bargh, J.A., McKenna, K.Y. “The Internet and social life”. Annual Review of Psychology, 55(2004): 573-590
http://www.yale.edu/acmelab/articles/Internet_and_Social_Life.pdf
Hagan, R., Manktelow, R., Taylor, B.J., Malett, J. “Reducing loneliness amongst older people: a systemic search and narrative review”. Aging and Mental Health, 18.6 (2014): 683-693
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24437736
Kraut, R., Patterson, M., Lundmark, V., Kiesler, S., Mukopadhyay, T., Scherlis, W. “Internet paradox. Social technology that reduces social involvement and psychological wellbeing” American Psychologist, 53.9(1998): 1017-1031
https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~kiesler/publications/1998pdfs/1998Kraut-InternetParadox.pdf
Prezza, M., Pacilli, G.M., Dinelli, S. “Loneliness and new technologies in a group of Roman adolescents”. Computers in Human Behaviour, 20.5(2004): 691-709
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563203000797
