Solitude Loneliness and Isolation in the age of Technology

This essay critically argues the negative effects of increasing dependence on technology and how technology has gradually brought isolation and loneliness in people’s life. The essay concludes that increasing loneliness and isolation can be an alarming issue since it leads to problems like depression and anxiety and therefore, this critical situation is needed to be addressed.

Running head: ENGLISH COMPOSITION 1
English Composition 1: Solitude Loneliness and Isolation in the age of Technology
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1
ENGLISH COMPOSITION 1
Although technological advances aim to make people’s life easier, as it meant to connect
people, it is in turn making people more isolated and lonely.
The purpose of essay is to critically argue the negative effects of increasing dependence
on technology and how technology has gradually brought isolation and loneliness in people’s
life. Technology has now become an inseparable aspect of people’s life. Technological advances
has come to a point where the technology is everywhere in our lives (Baecker, Ron et al). One of
the significant reasons behind this increasing dependency on technology is its benefits. The aim
of the essay is to discuss the social issue along with certain drawbacks of the increasing use of
technology (Tan et al.).
Prior to the analysis of the negative effects of technology, it is essential to identify the
benefits or advantages of technology that is making people more dependent on the same. The use
of technology has increased productivity in almost every industry. Furthermore, technology
provides an easy access to the information needed. Social media, which are one important
applications of technology aims in eliminating loneliness by bringing the whole world in a
computer screen. However, the increasing use of social media and virtual world has isolated
people from the real world, the reason of which is needed to be evaluated. For that, the concept
of solitude and loneliness is needed to be analyzed.
Solitude and Loneliness although seems to be similar, in actual reality, it is completely
different. However, both of this can be connected in form of technology. Technology although,
has helped in reducing solitude, it could not eliminate loneliness from a person’s life. There is a
significant difference between solitude and loneliness as solitude refers to the ability of

2
ENGLISH COMPOSITION 1
remaining contented even being alone, while loneliness is associated with a depressing feeling of
being alone.
Loneliness is therefore the negative state of mind where the individuals feel disconnected
and isolated (Cotton et al.). Technology and internet especially, the social media was supposed to
reduce loneliness however, the case is completely different. The increasing use of technology
and internet has resulted in lack of solitude and increase in loneliness (Bozoglan et al.). This
loneliness amidst of hundreds of social media friends is questionable and therefore the actual
reason behind the same is needed to be identified.
Isolation and loneliness is alarming since it is giving rise to certain health problems such
as depression and anxiety. With increasing use of technology and emergence of different social
media platforms, an individual is surrounded by a number of online friends. The increase in
interaction with the online friends creates a distance from the real friends thereby sowing the
seed to loneliness, which gradually leads to depression.
Increase in engagement with the virtual world is resulting in lack of solitude. Increase in
dependence on technology and internet can have an adverse effect (Yang, Chia-chen et al.). The
virtual world gradually becomes an addiction to the individual resulting is lack of solitude.
Increase in the dependence on the virtual world can replace real or face-to-face friendship
with that of virtual or online friends. The online friends may not remain forever and ones a
strong tie can eventually become weak once the contact is lost. Thus, even if people are
connected over social media, it may not always eliminate loneliness or can adversely affect the
solitude of the people. This can therefore be considered as a significant negative effect of
technology. Thus it can be concluded that increasing dependence on technology and continuous

3
ENGLISH COMPOSITION 1
use of the same can eventually affect the day to day operations of an individual increasing the
loneliness. There arises on significant question, whether this problem is a worldwide
phenomenon?
Increase in loneliness as a result of technological innovation is a worldwide phenomenon.
However, there are certain exceptions as well, such as the Chinese people who spend
considerably lesser time in social media. However, a worldwide phenomenon is very difficult to
eliminate. The only way of eliminating this problem or reducing this problem is to eliminate the
people’s increasing reliance on technology (Bangee, Munirah et al). People need to understand
the difference between the real and the virtual world and for that, it is necessary to reduce or
check their use of social media and internet. Thus, the solution to the problem is needed to be
identified.
This problem can be addressed only if people can reduce the increasing reliance on
technology so that actual solitude can be perceived. Disconnection from the virtual world is
necessary in order to embrace the real world so that loneliness is reduced. The physical contact
with the people in real world can considerably help an individual to get rid of loneliness by
allowing him/her to engage with the community. Thus, reduction in use of internet and
technology might help in attaining the actual solitude.
The essay concludes that increasing loneliness and isolation can be an alarming issue
since it leads to problems like depression and anxiety and therefore, this critical situation is
needed to be addressed. It has been identified that loneliness as a result of increase in
dependence on technology is a worldwide phenomenon and therefore solutions to this problem is

4
ENGLISH COMPOSITION 1
needed to be identified. As a solution to the problem, increase in awareness among individuals
across the globe is necessary.

5
ENGLISH COMPOSITION 1
References
Baecker, Ron, et al. "Technology to reduce social isolation and loneliness." Proceedings of the
16th international ACM SIGACCESS conference on Computers & accessibility. ACM, 2014.
Bangee, Munirah, et al. "Loneliness and attention to social threat in young adults: Findings from
an eye tracker study." Personality and Individual Differences 63 (2014): 16-23.
Bozoglan, Bahadir, Veysel Demirer, and Ismail Sahin. "Loneliness, self‐esteem, and life
satisfaction as predictors of Internet addiction: A cross‐sectional study among Turkish university
students." Scandinavian journal of psychology 54.4 (2013): 313-319.
Cotten, Shelia R., William A. Anderson, and Brandi M. McCullough. "Impact of internet use on
loneliness and contact with others among older adults: cross-sectional analysis." Journal of
medical Internet research 15.2 (2013).
Tan, Çetin, Mustafa Pamuk, and Ayşenur Dönder. "Loneliness and mobile phone." Procedia-
Social and Behavioral Sciences103 (2013): 606-611.
Yang, Chia-chen. "Instagram use, loneliness, and social comparison orientation: interact and
browse on social media, but don't compare." Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social
Networking 19.12 (2016): 703-708.