Facebook Does NOT Make Us Lonely

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At first, I agreed with Stephen Marche, author of “Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?”, but after doing some of my own research I would like to retract my original position. We cannot blame technology for our own human condition. However Stephen Marche begs to differ. “At the forefront of all this unexpectedly lonely interactivity is Facebook, with 845 million users and $3.7 billion in revenue last year” (Marche). Stephen Marche believes Facebook is making us lonely because it is changing the dynamics of traditional friendships (Marche). He also blames Facebook for the rise in human isolation. From 1950 to 2010 a 17 percent increase in households of one were reported (Marche). Does Marche not realize that many happy Americans choose solitary living because their work requires it? It is ironic that running parallel to the growth of Facebook is the rate of loneliness. Could it be, that while computer technology advances, so does the technology responsible for reporting the rise in lonely individuals? Let’s be honest here. There are multitudes of social media sites and other internet wastelands, Facebook is not the sole reason for the increase in loneliness. Part of the human condition requires one to deal with real life situations, many of which cause loneliness such as the loss of a loved one, snowballing debt, or moving away from family and friends. I believe Facebook’s intentions of connecting the world to one another is exactly what it achieves.

Stephen Marche states that a lack of companionship leads to isolation which will lead to depression and ultimately failing health (Marche). Facebook facilitates socializing online and consequently face to face contact with others is severely limited. As we ...

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Kasperkevic, Jana. "Student Loan Debt Hits A New High As Millennials Take 'Poverty-Wage' Jobs." 6 December 2013. The Guardian. Web. 14 April 2014. .

Marche, Stephen. "Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?" 2 April 2012. The Atlantic. Web. 14 April 2014. .

Reisinger, Don. "Shocker: People Complain More Online Than Offline." 30 November 2009. CNET. Website. 14 April 2014. .

Tompor, Susan. "Will You Marry Me (And My Student Loan Debt)?" 15 May 2013. USA TODAY. Web. 14 April 2014. .

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