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SOCIAL SOLITUDE: Does technology make us feel alone?

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SOCIAL SOLITUDE: Does technology make us feel alone?

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TED talks are becoming more and more known to people as time passes by, it was founded by Richard Saul Wurman in 1984. TED stands for "Technology, Entertainment, Design", it is a conference series wherein the speakers have time to present and share their messages that are delivered in a highly polished, succinct speeches. Their mission is to motivate, challenge, trigger people's minds, and touch the hearts of the audience.

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One topic that is pretty relevant in this time and age is technology, specifically how technology can be an advantage and a disadvantage at the same time. Sherry Turkle's TED talk entitled, "Connected but Alone", is an excellent example of this. In her speech, she discussed how technology makes people feel lonely. I have gathered some points she mentioned that I agree on and would like to emphasize more of.

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1. People use their phones on all meetings

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1. People use their phones on all meetings

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Wherever you go, you could see people using their phones, whether they be alone, or with friends or family, in the streets, restaurants, malls, parks, you name it, there would always be phones. Yes, using your phone is okay but excessive use of it is never okay. Why do we even use it on meetings in the first place? We meet people to talk with them, to catch up with them, not to be on our phones and ignore them and lock yourself out. It is easy, shut your phone off, put it down, and enjoy the company of other people. Phones are made for communicating with people, not avoiding them.

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2. Being together while not being together

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2. Being together while not being together

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Similar to the first one, using phones while someone actually makes us feel lonely. Yes, they're there physically but they're mentally absent. I myself experienced this, when me and my friends would hang out, we find ourselves at some point just looking at our phones and no one's even talking. We're together but we're not really together because we were immersed with our own phones. What we do in this kind of situation is we put our phones in a basket and we set our time, for example, two hours of not holding it, which we find really works and we talk more.

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3. Someone who can listen when no one is listening

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3. Someone who can listen when no one is listening

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We sometimes find ourselves in a situation that we feel like no one is listening to us anymore, in this time of need, we turn to our phone. They make us feel that we can be heard by broadcasting our thoughts and problems on social media. But what we don't realize is that it makes it worse. When we have problems, we find someone we can talk to, not something to divert our attention with. Whenever I have problems, I turn to my family and friends for help instead of going through my phone because it wouldn't solve any of my problems, it wouldn't make me feel any better, compared to when I talk to someone, then she would give me advice and express sympathy to me, making me feel loved and that I'm not alone.

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Technology was made to ease communication but it ended up being a hindrance to talking with others in real life. So whatever you choose to do, remember that phones cannot replace the feeling of having someone by your side, the joy of laughing with a loved one, reconnecting with friends, or even just by having a small talk with a stranger. Let us remember that the memories we have cannot be replaced by any technology. Let us live in a world where we can build our identity out of connections, not solitude because that is what makes us human.