Humans are social creatures and require human contact but the digital age has caused a seismic shift in how we experience life and engage with others.
Gen Y for example is now the most connected generation the world has ever seen.
Australian social commentator Hugh Mackay has labelled this as a new form of RSI - Reduced Social Interaction. He says people are not getting the ‘‘emotional nutrition’’ of spending time face to face with others.
A national survey just released by Relationships Australia claims 30 per cent of Australians aged 25 to 34 report they are frequently lonely - far more than any other age group. The second most lonely were the young adults – 19 per cent of them claimed they were frequently lonely.
Assistant Professor Keith Hampton and fellow researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have also focussed on social isolation and new technology and report evidence that the use of social networking has replaced local community involvement particularly in active sport participation.
The people who use these new technologies do often have large and diverse social networks but the problem is they live in an isolated virtual bubble devoid of face-to-face human interaction.
The current research is implying that these social media hermits spend so much time on social networking websites that they possess no strong sense of belonging in the “real world.”
Social hermits can be observed daily on public transport or walking in the street and even in the workplace. They insulate themselves from those around them by engaging in excessive text based interaction with others.
It becomes even more obvious in other settings. Household members, whether family or flatmates are now accustomed to splitting up and hiving off to do their own thing via social networking.
The son of an aquaintance shares a three bedroom household with two other professionals. He can go over a week without seeing any flatmates. He said he can hear them-or at least their games/programs but other than that he really has no indication that they are still alive. He judges their moods by the volume and style of noise echoing through the walls.
A mum with a technology savvy husband and teenage children says she feels like a zookeeper. She endeavours to prepare interesting and nourishing meals but has to leave them out separately plated. During the night at differing times her social media hermits emerge from their lairs to consume the food.
There is no doubt people use social media to stay in touch and share information in ways that keep them socially active and connected to their online communities, however just as web porn cannot replace real love, social networking cannot replace real friendships.
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