Scroll, like, comment, and refresh. It’s a pattern that nearly all of us have fallen into thanks to the rise of social media platforms like Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook, and Snapchat. I  have become a victim of the addictive nature of social media myself, often viewing posts for hours at a time without realizing it. Influencers with “perfect lives” flood our screens, promoting their “perfect” products and spending time with their “perfect” family and friends. We have access to anyone in the world through a small screen, getting to see their highs and lows. But is this constant scrolling and comparing really making us more connected with one another, or actually making us more isolated?

In today’s world, a person at home alone is less likely to read a book or do something productive and more apt to grab their device and scroll through social media. So why is it that as soon as you open Instagram or Facebook, flashy photos of people having fun or celebrating fill the screen while you are stuck alone at home? Social media capitalizes on its viewers’ social isolation and presents them with highly social situations with extended groups of friends and family. It makes an already isolated person feel even more alone.

With social media, everything is publicized. How awful is the feeling when you log into a social media platform and see your friends posting photos together- without you? Years ago, you would never know who was where unless they told you themselves. Now, people’s every move is right at your fingertips. Because of this, people viewing social platforms can feel incredibly alone and left out and this can take a huge toll on someone’s mental health and self-esteem. 

Our increased screen time and tendency to communicate online also lead to less enjoyment from real-world conversations. I have definitely felt at times that it would be so much easier and more convenient to quickly text a friend or family member as opposed to having a conversation face-to-face when in reality I would get so much more out of that real-world interaction. The rise of companies like DoorDash and UberEats- both of which are promoted on social media- even allows consumers to get their food delivered right to their door and avoid physical interactions. 

As a teenager living in today’s society, I truly believe that social media is making us more isolated and lonely. The number of times I’ve logged in to a social media platform, seen a group of people having fun, and immediately compared myself to them is absurd- and this is not an experience unique to just me. Despite “social” being in the name, social media makes its users feel more alone and secluded than anything.