Is social media connecting or isolating?

There is good and bad

I feel like social media is an excellent tool to connect with friends and relatives whom you do not interact with on a regular basis. It is the perfect way to communicate with loved ones who live far away from you. This is such a blessing in the current day, because families and friends are scattered all over the globe. It is true that sometimes, social media can cause people to feel isolated. This is because we tend to compare ourselves to the seemingly perfect lives that people share on social media. What we must realise however is that this does not accurately represent reality or only represents a small part of reality, and so we shouldn’t think of ourselves as inferior compared to what we see on social media. From Ms Lehar Chellani Dubai

Connection lost

T he truth is, Facebook was created to connect with people, but now it has isolated everyone. It will continue to do so with people posting fake news, manipulated comments, namesake likes and the useless sharing culture. This is my personal opinion From Mr Ammappettai Satham Hussain UAE

Hub for the fake

F acebook should be used to connect with family and friends, but it has become worse. There are fake pages that carry fake news and information. From Mr Aymz Al Mutairi UAE

Very uncertain environment

but unfortunately, the hacking, fighting, drama and fake profiles make me feel uncomfortable using the feature. From Mr Doug M. USA

Stop blaming social media

I t is not social media that connects or isolates us — we do that by ourselves. The key is appropriate usage. These portals help keep us keep connected, if we use it to be in touch with friends and family especially overseas. It helps us to coordinate meet ups, as because of our hectic schedules, meeting regularly may not be possible. That is why social media helps us keep connected. We can get isolated if we just rely on the virtual world, without actually physically interacting with people. Basically, it is in our hands how we choose to utilise these social portals. We forget that signing out is just a click away. Stop blaming social media. From Ms Mahnaaz Shaikh India

Bit of both

I t helps us connect with people across the globe. It helps us to rediscover long lost friends and relatives. At the same time, it leaves us disconnected with those close to us. We are failing to find happiness in simple pleasures and we are turning to emotionless robots. From Ms Anagha Rajesh UAE

Fake is a new trend

I t’s the bitter truth nowadays because social media is isolating people. I deactivated my Facebook account because I was feeling depressed while I was on it. I feel much more relaxed now. Whenever I turned on Facebook, I can see news of bomb attacks, rape cases and countries threatening each other. Where are we all heading? God created us to spread love. At the last I can say fake is the new trend and everyone seems to be in style. From Mr Abu Ul Hassan Dubai

No red flags

I think the impact includes a bit of both. Yes, it does distract you from the people around you, as most people tend to be glued to the mobile phones, rather than interact amongst each other. On the other hand, it helps you connect with people; you probably would not have otherwise. From Ms Christina Scurville UAE

Pop the bubble

I think social media initially started as a simple tool to stay connected with people. However, the advancement of technology, social media has become accessible to everyone and is literally a world of its own. It has it’s own language, algorithm, space and purpose. It is almost like a living thing. What was once used as a tool to connect has now become a platform to hide. We spend so much time on social media that we have forgotten what it is like to go and talk to people. A lot of teenagers have social anxiety because people are difficult to predict. Just because you know someone online, doesn’t mean they are the same in person. When we realise they aren’t, it pushes people away from society and into hiding. Everyone is satisfied with living in a bubble. But the truth is, you cannot live in a bubble forever. At a point, it is going to pop. From Ms Saira Bhagat Dubai

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