Is social media making us more disconnected?

[Jirjiroole]

I wanted to start a discussion about the impact of social media on our relationships and overall sense of connection with others. It seems like in many ways, social media has brought us closer together - we can connect with people from all over the world and stay in touch with friends and family members even when we're far apart.

But on the other hand, I'm starting to wonder if social media is actually making us more disconnected. We spend so much time staring at screens and scrolling through feeds that we often forget to engage with the world around us. We might have hundreds or even thousands of "friends" online, but how many of those connections are really meaningful? And how often do we prioritize our online lives over our offline relationships?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Do you feel like social media is bringing us closer together or pushing us further apart? How do you try to balance your online and offline lives? And what do you think we can do to foster more meaningful connections in the digital age?

 

[JohnCena]

Yes 100%. It's way worse than it's ever been.

My sis is a teacher and she told me all her kids are addicted to social media. They barely socialize during recess.

Covid made it worse.

 

[Kalsoon]

I no longer use social media because it was lacking in the authenticity I enjoy in social relationships. The real life connections are much more meaningful for me personally.
Social media made me feel somewhat closer to people. While also feeling a lot farther away from them because it’s curated and not a real representation of people.

It seems people start being less empathatic to one another the longer they stay online and away from real life connections. Some people online are in a perpetual state of anger and become easy to trigger. How does a person like that function irl??

To foster more meaningful connections, I have had to improve my listening skills, increase my empathy, become more understanding, and show my vulnerability at the right times. Main thing that helped is spending time with them irl (phone calls included) fully engaged with them with no distractions.

 

[Odious Delirium]

I no longer use social media because it was lacking in the authenticity I enjoy in social relationships. The real life connections are much more meaningful for me personally.
Social media made me feel somewhat closer to people. While also feeling a lot farther away from them because it’s curated and not a real representation of people.

It seems people start being less empathatic to one another the longer they stay online and away from real life connections. Some people online are in a perpetual state of anger and become easy to trigger. How does a person like that function irl??

To foster more meaningful connections, I have had to improve my listening skills, increase my empathy, become more understanding, and show my vulnerability at the right times. Main thing that helped is spending time with them irl (phone calls included) fully engaged with them with no distractions.

Mashallah brother

 

[Jirjiroole]

I no longer use social media because it was lacking in the authenticity I enjoy in social relationships. The real life connections are much more meaningful for me personally.
Social media made me feel somewhat closer to people. While also feeling a lot farther away from them because it’s curated and not a real representation of people.

It seems people start being less empathatic to one another the longer they stay online and away from real life connections. Some people online are in a perpetual state of anger and become easy to trigger. How does a person like that function irl??

To foster more meaningful connections, I have had to improve my listening skills, increase my empathy, become more understanding, and show my vulnerability at the right times. Main thing that helped is spending time with them irl (phone calls included) fully engaged with them with no distractions.

It's great to hear that you have made a conscious decision to prioritize authentic connections over social media interactions. It's true that social media can sometimes create a false sense of closeness and hinder genuine communication.

You raise an interesting point about how some people's online behavior can differ from their behavior in real life. It's possible that the anonymity and distance provided by the internet can embolden people to express their emotions in a more extreme way than they would in person. However, it's important to remember that this is not true for everyone and there are many individuals who maintain healthy online interactions.

It's encouraging to hear that you have worked on improving your listening skills, empathy, and understanding in order to foster meaningful connections. This is an important reminder that building relationships takes effort and requires us to be present and engaged with the people we interact with.

Overall, it sounds like you have found a healthy balance between online and offline interactions, and that you have developed important skills that will serve you well in all of your relationships.

 

[Kalsoon]

It's great to hear that you have made a conscious decision to prioritize authentic connections over social media interactions. It's true that social media can sometimes create a false sense of closeness and hinder genuine communication.

You raise an interesting point about how some people's online behavior can differ from their behavior in real life. It's possible that the anonymity and distance provided by the internet can embolden people to express their emotions in a more extreme way than they would in person. However, it's important to remember that this is not true for everyone and there are many individuals who maintain healthy online interactions.

It's encouraging to hear that you have worked on improving your listening skills, empathy, and understanding in order to foster meaningful connections. This is an important reminder that building relationships takes effort and requires us to be present and engaged with the people we interact with.

Overall, it sounds like you have found a healthy balance between online and offline interactions, and that you have developed important skills that will serve you well in all of your relationships.

You’re right. I didn’t mean to generalize everyone.

I have met some of the most damaged
people from online and some of my most favorite people. Alhamdulilah I have grown enough now that I can tell the difference.

If the connection is there online, it usually translates well into the real world. That’s been my experience. Social media is wonderful in that aspect.

Socializing or engaging with the right people irl is really good for our health. I was trying to improve my health and realized this was one aspect I hadn’t prioritized as much. It’s been a couple of months now but I can already see the difference it’s made for me.

 

[Barni]

Tbh, even without social media i have been feeling quite disconnected from everyone bcs of the medication i have been taking. This shi has me so tired & so unmotivated for some reason.

 

[Jirjiroole]

Tbh, even without social media i have been feeling quite disconnected from everyone bcs of the medication i have been taking. This shi has me so tired & so unmotivated for some reason.

What medications do you take.

 

[Osama-bin Al-ballin]

This shouldn't even be a question of course it is

 

[Barni]

What medications do you take.

paliperidone and priadel i am schizoaffective.

 

[Osama-bin Al-ballin]

I no longer use social media because it was lacking in the authenticity I enjoy in social relationships. The real life connections are much more meaningful for me personally.
Social media made me feel somewhat closer to people. While also feeling a lot farther away from them because it’s curated and not a real representation of people.

It seems people start being less empathatic to one another the longer they stay online and away from real life connections. Some people online are in a perpetual state of anger and become easy to trigger. How does a person like that function irl??

To foster more meaningful connections, I have had to improve my listening skills, increase my empathy, become more understanding, and show my vulnerability at the right times. Main thing that helped is spending time with them irl (phone calls included) fully engaged with them with no distractions.

Wonderfully put sxb I too have deleted everything but youtube and have noticed my attention span getting significantly better. I frequent youtube shorts but the videos are a bit longer and the algorithm promotes actual insightful videos compared to the filth on Fitnatok.

 

[Jirjiroole]

paliperidone and priadel i am schizoaffective.

Never heard any of those words before, are you perhaps trolling me?

 

[Barni]

Never heard any of those words before, are you perhaps trolling me?

Thats what the pills said, but believe what u want bro.

 

[NordicSomali]

Obviously, people have been saying this for years.