Some people suggest that social networking and online communication have increased social isolation. In what ways do you think this has happened? Give reasons for your answers and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Technology has witnessed a serious development in the last decade, therefore impacting the way we live, learn and communicate. With the breakthrough of social media and the increase in communication through Internet, people are “immigrating” to online environment. However, reports often suggest that this type of communication have affected our social bonds, hence making us isolate ourselves from the real world. While the World Wide Web posses a lot of advantages and benefits, it seems to me that social networking did make a damage on our social relations. Firstly, the reason why this has happened lies in the fact that everyone use social media. Peer presure usually affects our decisions, and in this case, one could ask themselves “If my friends use this, why wouldn’t I? ”. For instance, I opened an account on Facebook when I was nine years old, just because I don’t feel left out when my friends talk about what did they see on this platform. Moreover, as illustrated in the afore mentioned example, children are starting to use gadgets at early age. As a consequence, they are getting used to living in cyberspace more than in real life, and that will inevitably change their social interaction. Unfortunately, this can be seen in almost every household where kids are watching YouTube videos, following influencers on Instagram or dancing to the TikTok challenges. Finally, online communication is undoubtedly more convenient and requires minimum work. If we want to talk to friends or meet someone, there is no need for leaving home anymore, we can just chat with them through many applications for message exchange. In addition to this, even when we go out, we constantly check our phones for new notifications, partly leaving the real world and face-to-face talk in the middle of it. In conclusion, I would argue that, in lieu of all the innovative options and opportunities social networking has brought, it also decreased our social cohesion.