Communication technology pushing us towards social isolation and neurosis

1. COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY
PUSHING US TOWARDS SOCIAL ISOLATION AND NEUROSIS
Robert Biffis

2. Introduction
• Definitions
• History
•Today’s Communication Technology
• The Great Debate
• Today’s Concerns
•Neurosis
• Conclusion

3. Definitions
Loneliness: Emotional state felt by people who are dissatisfied
with their social connection.
Neurosis: A relatively mild mental illness that is not caused by
organic disease, involving symptoms of stress but
not a radical loss of touch with reality.
Slacktivism: Actions performed via the Internet in support of a
political or social cause but regarded as requiring
little time or involvement.
Social Isolation: Is an objective condition in which people have
little interaction with others.

4. History Of Communication
Technology
Stretching back to the printing press, society has shown
concern about the negative impacts of new
communication technology.

5. Printing Press
The printing press was the origin of mass
communication and the first method of disseminating
ideas and information to a far-ranging audience.
It created a shift from Oral Culture where information
was passed from one generation to the next through
interpersonal interaction (Storytelling).
The Social Concern
Print encouraged the pursuit of personal privacy and
silent reading.
In the 18th century, French statesman Malesherbes
warned the public about getting news from the printed
page arguing “it socially isolated readers and detracted
from the spiritually uplifting group practice of getting
news from the pulpit” (Bell, 2010).

6. Telephone
The telephone allowed people to communicate across vast distances and as a
result connect them with more people.
The Social Concern
However society was concerned that it lacked face-to-face interaction which
allows the interpretation of body language.

7. Television
Television signals can reach remote corners
of the country.
It promised shared national experience
through news and sports programs. It
brought events like political elections, war,
and the first walk on the moon into people’s
living rooms.
The Social Concern
In 1963 television was considered
mainstream in homes across America. Poet
T.S. Eliot warned: “Television permits
millions of people to listen to the same joke
at the same time, and yet remain
lonesome.” (Richardson, n.d.)
Television promoted isolation because of the
time dedicated to watching it was taking
away from other social activities.

8. History shows that the
concept of “connected
but alone” isn’t new,
just the technology is.

9. Today’s Communication
Technology
Today’s communication technology has greatly expanded our capacity to connect with
others. However, like the technology before it, great debates revolve around the social
impact of these new technologies.
Specifically: Social Isolation and Neurosis

10. THE GREAT DEBATE
Benefits
Communication technology today basks in its ability to connect people on a global scale. It
can provide:
Greater Connectivity
• Ultimate network to reach and be reached
• Widens social circles
More Support
• Strengthens and maintains relationships by allowing people to be more persistent and
pervasive
Stronger Real Life Relationships
• Supplements (not replaces) and enriches face-to-face interactions
• Appearance and location no longer matters - Just shared interests and values
A Feeling of Belonging
•Satisfies ones need to be part of a group
•Strengthens political engagement

11. Today’s Concerns
Connectivity
Sherry Turkle, author of “Alone Together” believes
that expanded connectivity comes at the price of
depth. “We are only getting ‘sips’ of connection not
real communication” (Turkle, 2011).
Connections made on social networks “provide the
illusion of companionship without the demands of
friendship, without the demands of intimacy” (Turkle,
2011).
“Online, we easily find ‘company’ but are exhausted
by the pressure of performance. We enjoy continual
connection but rarely have each other’s full attention.
We can have instant audiences but flatten out what
we say to each other in new reductive genres of
abbreviation” (Turkle, 2011).

12. Feelings Of Support
According to a study by scientists at
Duke University 25% of Americans have
no meaningful social support and no
close confidants or friends outside their
immediate family. (Ilardi, 2009)
Friendships originating online are less
supportive because they involve fewer
joint activities and fewer topics of
discussion.
Deep friendships have been replaced by
screens and gadgets. People spend so
much time maintaining superficial
connections online and not dedicating
enough time to cultivating deeper real-
life relationships.

13. Real World Relationships
Communication technology tempts many to “give precedence to people they are not
with over the people they are with” (Price, 2011).
We text during dinner with our families or when we are out with friends. Little eye
contact is made and face-to-face communication has decreased.
People connect more with people in virtual world but communicate less with those in
the real world.

14. False Sense of Belonging/Action
Humans by nature are social creatures and a rich
community life benefits society as a whole .
Social media makes it easy to form groups and
people get a false sense of involvement or enacting
social change. One can easily “like”, “share”, or
“tweet” to support a social cause. This “feel-good”
measure is called slacktivism due to the little
physical or practical effort required.
Slacktivism allows people to feel satisfied that they
belong or have contributed to a group.
Unfortunately slacktivism rarely results in the real
life action needed to support a political or social
cause.
“It is unfortunate that joining Facebook groups
make people as happy as writing letters to their
elected representatives without triggering any of
the effects that might benefit society at large”
(Morozov, 2011).

15. Neurosis
Today’s communication technology demands constant performance to
maintain multiple profiles on multiple platforms only to maintain a shallow
connections with hundreds of friends. It is no surprise that many people
develop the following Neurosis:
Anxiety
• Having to perform a character on social media
• Having the need to check your devices constantly
Depression
• Reading about others seemingly perfect lives
• Feelings of envy
Loneliness
• Distancing from real life friendships
• Lack of meaningful bonds
• Decrease in confidants

16. Conclusion
History shows us that with each new technology humans seem to
be pushed a little closer to social isolation.
Forming connections online can satisfying a person’s need to
share and communicate with friends but only temporarily. It can
never make up completely for real life or face-to-face interactions.
Self presentation on a continuous basis can be exhausting and
many times results in some form of Neurosis.
We have to make decisions on how we use new technology not
the other way around. The depth of ones social connections in
the real world should remain a priority. New technology should
supplement our relationships not replace them.

17. References
Bell, Vaughan. (2010). Don’t Touch That Dial! Slate. Retrieved from
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2010/02/dont_touch_that_dial.
html
Ilardi, Stephen. (2009). Social Isolation: A Modern Plague. Psychology Today. Retrieved from
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-depression-cure/200907/social-isolation-
modern-plague
Morozov, Evgeny. (2011). The Net Delusion. New York, NY: Public Affairs
Price, Michael. (2011). Alone In The Crowd. American Psychological Association. Retrieved
from http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/06/social-networking.aspx
Richardson, Anthony. (n.d.) How Technology Has Created the Illusion of Socialization. High
Existence. Retrieved from http://highexistence.com/how-technology-has-created-the-
illusion-of-socialization/
Turkle, Sherry. (2011). Alone Together. New York, NY: Basic Books