The study of Harvard University shed light on the alarming phenomenon of modern youth. Despite the hours spent on social networks, more than half of the 500 teenagers surveyed found that they have no real social contacts - neither online nor offline.
This phenomenon enhances the already existing anxiety about the "Epidemics of Loneliness", which is said by the US Chief Surgeon Dr. Vivek Murti. The scientific work of Dr. Laura Marcano has identified three key factors that contribute to loneliness among adolescents in a digital environment: social comparisons. In applications such as Instagram, users, assessing themselves through the lens of the "glamorous life" of others, feel inferiority. Insufficiency of text communication. Text messages devoid of emotional saturation create barriers for real connection. Passive content consumption. Constant scroll and auto -reproduction isolate users, displacing active interaction.
This was especially acute during the Covid-19 pandemic, when teenagers remained closed in four walls, replacing real connections with virtual. Experts emphasize the importance of forming healthy habits of social networks. Setting up privacy. Hiding likes and changing the algorithms of the tape on Instagram help to reduce pressure. Conscious use. The exchange of useful information and real emotions should outweigh the envious comparison. Real communication. Video calls and live meetings can restore emotional contact. However, the root of the problem lies in the structure of the platforms themselves. The design of social networks often enhances competition and dependence on approval through swearing and reposts. The growing popularity of generative AI among adolescents opens a new line of isolation. Although such tools can be temporary support, they are not able to replace deep emotional connections with people.
Laura Marciano's research is an alarming call for a society that is quickly transformed under the influence of technology. Teens need not only digital tools for socialization, but also skills in creating real connections. Awareness of these challenges is the first step to overcoming the "Epidemic of Loneliness".
