This document is an argumentative essay arguing that Facebook promotes loneliness. It does so in three main ways: by distracting users from real-life interactions, providing an illusion of companionship that replaces real relationships, and negatively impacting users' self-image by allowing unrealistic comparisons to others' idealized profiles. While some research suggests social media increases social contact for older users, studies show younger users, who are the most active on social media, report higher levels of loneliness and confide in fewer people.

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First Name Last Name
English Composition I
Argumentative Essay
20 November 2017
Facebook’s Role in Loneliness
Social media has become ubiquitous in recent times due to
advancements in technology
whereby several devices, particularly internet-enabled
smartphones, facilitate the interactivity of
people through social networking platforms. Addictiveness to
social media has resulted in many
people, particularly the youth, spending a lot of time browsing
and surfing on social websites
such as Facebook and Twitter (Cacioppo and Cacioppo 60). For
this reason, social media has
various impacts on the lifestyle, character, and behavior of
these individuals. In this regard,
social media, especially Facebook, promotes loneliness because
it poses distractions from real

2. life occurrences, provides an illusion of companionship and
social connection, and negatively
affects self-image, although the opposition believes it creates
strong connections between
interacting parties.
Facebook encourages the aspect of loneliness among its users in
a number of ways. For
instance, it poses distractions from real life happenings.
According to Guedes et al., it is obvious
that many youths tend to check their Facebook accounts
regularly, despite any commitments at
hand (45). This implies that social networking has changed the
youngsters’ ability to focus on the
real world into embracing the virtual world. Moreover,
shortcomings in social settings often
drive these individuals to seek solace in online websites such as
Facebook (46). Instead of
handling feelings due to social misunderstandings, many people
often embrace their smartphones
or personal computers to distract themselves. This behavior,
therefore, promotes loneliness as it
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3. strains immediate and real-time relationships between
individuals. In sum, users are visiting the
website to fill many types of voids that should be satisfied by
physical human interaction.
Additionally, social networking provides an illusion of
companionship and social
connection between people from different regions of the world.
In this case, Facebook brings
substitutes to actual family and friends from the virtual world.
In as much as it enables people to
connect with close family members and acquaintances, many
young individuals nurture
emotional relationships with distant people, in particular virtual
strangers, without much
attention to their close relatives and friends (Ryan et al. 144).
As a result, the illusionary
relationships take center stage of these individuals’ lives.
Consequently, detaching from
connections between immediate companions to virtual ones
culminates in isolation and thus
loneliness as well as provides opportunities for malicious
predators.
Moreover, Facebook affects people’s self-image negatively in a
number of ways.

4. Considering that several Facebook users post idealized videos
and photos on the website in a bid
to display their work and social lifestyles, the implication is
that they compete with celebrities
and other figures in the virtual, social world (Ryan et al. 147).
As a result, other Facebook users
tend to have the notion that their counterparts lead fabulous,
successful, and exciting lives.
Therefore, they may develop feelings of inadequacy, thereby
feeling isolated and lonely.
However, Walter Smith, senior analyzer at RH Housier,
explains that social networking
sites “increase social contact among older adults” (qtd. in Ryan
et al.). An increase in social
activity would seemingly yield a fulfilled social component.
Surprisingly enough, those who
have reported feeling lonely are under the age of 35 (Guedes et
al. 15). This is quite ironical as
they are the most prolific networkers of social media. One
would expect the much older
generation to make such complaints. Identically, about 48% of
the same age group confide in

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only one person (19). Hence, this shows that despite the fact
that online social networks have
increased, offline communication has been compromised in the
process to some extent and no
matter the age group.
The use of technology has resulted in many impacts on the
social lives of people around
the world. In particular, it has promoted loneliness among the
individuals who actively
participate in social networking through social media as
discussed. Facebook, for instance, poses
distractions from real life happenings. It also provides an
illusion of social companionship and
social connection as well as negatively affecting the self-image.
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Works Cited
Cacioppo, John T., & Stephanie Cacioppo. “Social
Relationships and Health: The Toxic Effects
of Perceived Social Isolation.” Social and personality
psychology compass 8.2 (2014):

6. 58–72. PMC. Web. 29 Nov. 2017.
Guedes, Eduardo et al. “Internet Addiction and Excessive Social
Networks Use: What about
Facebook?” Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental
Health : CP & EMH 12
(2016): 43–48. PMC. Web. 29 Nov. 2017.
Ryan, Tracii et al. “The Uses and Abuses of Facebook: A
Review of Facebook
Addiction.” Journal of Behavioral Addictions 3.3 (2014): 133–
148. PMC. Web. 29 Nov.
2017.
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