Social media paradox: Isolation, connection or individualism?

By Robert Mutasi

In this digital era, social media have changed the way people interact and connect to each other via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

However, this connection has created a trend called the social media paradox that has led to isolation and individualism.

Despite the fact that social media has enhanced instant communication, it provides shallow interactions that lack depth personal relationships.

While social media allows instant communication, there are also possibilities of shallow interactions without much depth in personal relationships.

The main victim of these social media paradoxes are young people, they spend most of their time on social media chatting, watching and interacting with other people within and beyond their niche and environs.

According to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, high rates of signs of social isolation and social media use are among young adults.

Even if they get connected every time in their entire life, they have a sense of isolation.

Social media has some effects, one being psychological effects whereby content from the internet can diminish the perception of reality which can lead to distorted self-esteem and self comparison that is negative.

More so, when one is exposed to social media content such as images that are idealized and lifestyles, can cause mental health issues such as stress, depression and anxiety.

Socialization has created dangerous addiction to the users who cannot even sit far from their devices for some hours.

This is due to excessive use and, as a result, to increased feelings of loneliness.

Introduction of digital literacy will be the best solution that will reduce the negative effect from social media content consumption.

Setting boundaries such as spending little time on screen time and consuming only positive content that is healthy.

I know it is difficult to overcome the social media paradox but slowly we can shift toward real human interaction over online validation.