Wednesday, January 29, 2025 at 4:18 PM
By JonChristopher Collins
As humanity propels forward technologically, it sinks into disconnection.
The modern world boasts of connection but fails to see the disconnection. That observation isn’t new. Many times, before this piece was written, people have noted that the very technology that claims to connect us and bring us together often times leaves us isolated and out of touch. The modern world has plummeted so deep into technological advancement that it has regressed into immature and weak communication.
Technology isn’t inherently evil. However, like any tool, it is used for both good and evil. How do some people miss the irony of going out on a date or sitting down for a family meal only to have cell phones out like some kind of lifeline?
People laugh at a funny TikTok video but can miss the funny story a loved one is sharing. They scroll Instagram and simultaneously miss out on the instance before them. A psychologytoday.com article by Gregory L. Jantz highlights the unsociability of social media.
“We’ve all seen groups of friends or whole families dining together in restaurants, forgoing in-person conversation to stare silently at their cell phones. Indeed, a growing body of research makes it clearer every year that social media use has a dark side—including the elevated risk of withdrawal, isolation, and depression,” Jantz said. Of course, social media doesn’t exist as a purely dangerous space, and Jantz acknowledged that.
The point is that reliance on social media for connection doesn’t result in connection. Facebook can serve as a good tool for updates or funny posts, but without genuine relationships in the real world, that’s all it provides. Instagram and TikTok provide a platform for a variety of content, but once again, leaning on such platforms for real relationships will prove pointless.
Sure, one can meet new friends online. On the other hand, social media will more often than not lead people into other issues. Jantz pointed to some of the problems in his earlier cited piece.
Some of those dangers include: fake intimacy with people, comparison, anxiety and weakened communication skills. It seems fair to say that most people see the irony of having a friends or followers list packed with people they aren’t friends with outside of the digital world.
The concern of content creators losing a revenue source is real. The other side of the issue is more critical to me.
It’s far more concerning that people lack communication skills. In addition, it’s more troublesome that social media can lead to anxiety. I’m not unaware of the fact that there are free speech concerns surrounding the TikTok developments.
As a member of the media, I grasp and comprehend that reality. At the same time, lack of entertainment or one source of income isn’t nearly as threatening as issues of communication and mental health.
Undoubtedly, one can read the above and miss the point entirely. Again, social media isn’t entirely bad, but it exists for people rather than people existing for it.
One of my former communication professors taught a vital communication key. The talk is the relationship. In other words, no relationships exist without talking and listening.
It’s time to stop staring at screens, and instead, look at, listen to and talk with the people in front of us.
JonChristopher Collins 