The Atlantic Validates Our Prediction: Social Media May Make Us Lonelier In this year’s edition of our annual predictions of top media stories, one of our prediction was: “We may be immersed in social media, but we’ll spend less time with actual people.”
Back in Jan., we wrote, “So many people use social media sites – from Facebook, Google+, Twitter and LinkedIn, to and more — that people have less time to spend with their friends and family. We’re not sure if this will get much media coverage…” Well The Atlantic Monthly has validated our prediction in its May 2012 issue.
It’s article, “Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?” makes the point that: “Social media—from Facebook to Twitter—have made us more densely networked than ever. Yet for all this connectivity, new research suggests that we have never been lonelier (or more narcissistic)—and that this loneliness is making us mentally and physically ill.”
Written by Stephen Marche, a novelist who writes a monthly column for Esquire, the article reports on “what the epidemic of loneliness is doing to our souls and our society.” It’s well worth reading. And today’s Boston Globe validated our prediction that ”
The desire to be connected 24/7 may change in 2012.” Op-ed columnist Joanna Weiss wrote, “Giving screens — and ago — a week off,” in favor of unplugging from 24/7 and a Screen Free-Week. Check that out, too.
Late-in-the-Day Update: Just got around to reading Jane E. Brody’s column in today’s Times. She’s a must-read health columnist, and her current column, “Making Progress Against Clutter,” went beyond thinking of clutter as physical objects. She spent about half the column talking about how much she enjoyed a recent trip to Antarctica because she and her two sons did not spend hours monitoring email and world news.
Instead, We read books and missed not one excursion, lecture, vista or conversation with an interesting shipmate. As I watched others buried in their iPads, laptops and smartphones, I wondered what people did on vacation before we had this plethora of electronic equipment keeping us “in touch” 24/7.
Perhaps they telephoned now and then to see how the dog was faring. Not knowing about problems back home or at work surely meant vacations were more relaxing, a real break from daily stress. Makes a pretty strong case for unplugging.
Reposted from Norman Birnbach’s fabulous blog: PR Back Talk. Original link and post here.
See an earlier blog post I wrote on digital life overload last year.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
