The other day, I went to a neighboring house following their invitation to partake in an annual festive to commemorate St. Gabriel, a religious solemn rite, of course. There, I came across sons and daughters and even the parents (the mother and the father themselves) browsing their respective mobile phones ignoring anybody beside them.
Let alone individuals who have not yet been known each other/one another on the spur of the moment meeting in taxes or any other mode of transportation, family members roofed the same could hardly talk, make fun of, share invaluable views and exchange ideas.
I merely, taking all what I have got along with since the expansion of mobile technology into account, generalized that the advent of technology peculiarly using cellphones has prettily exacerbating the disparity of social bond and the gap among communal cohesion. Unless individuals have the opportunity to share ideas, be they are optimistically entertained or pessimistically accommodated, the meaning of long entrenched social values and the everlasting communal sympathy would be at stake and even citizens/ individuals would be engrossed with a state of mono-log and even get into fashion of being ill-psychic.
Whatever the source may be, loneliness has significant negative impacts on both physical and mental health. It can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, depression, anxiety, and even premature death. Furthermore, it can lead people to substance abuse, altered brain function, and impaired cognitive abilities, as to studies.
I don’t utter about all this out of the blue, but with convincing evidences about which everyone agrees. Wherever I appear especially these days, I have almost all the time come across individuals who have immensely indulged in either browsing internet, standing-in chat with whomever they like and heartily submerged in deep thought giving deaf ear to those who sit on a seat joined end-to-end with theirs.
Even I personally experience what has happened on the son of my uncle, who has never detached his eyes for a fraction of seconds from a smart cellphone he does have. What is practically witnessed from the actions of the boy is loneliness can trigger depressive and anxious symptoms, creating a cycle of negative feelings and isolation. It can also lead him to a negative self-perception and a belief that he is unworthy of connection as the boy has been experiencing solitude since he has possessed a cellphone. It is also scientifically proved that solitude can elevate blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol levels, all contributing to heart problems. Surprisingly, the sleep patterns of the boy have been highly disrupted, and that loneliness has potentially led him to a cycle of social withdrawal, too.
True, solitude, being lonely or spending time alone, though not all the time offers several benefits, including increased creativity, enhanced self-reflection, and improved focus. It can also lead to greater self-reliance, better emotional regulation, and even paying a closer look at things preferred. Additionally, being alone can offer a rich psychological experience and can increase productivity and boosts creativity as sometimes people can be pretty distracting.
However, loneliness is indeed a social problem linked with poor outcomes such as depression and shortened lifespan. Though it seriously requires a thorough research why people would like to be alone and demands someone spending a fair amount of time, the advent of technology, with reference to the obsessed use of mobile phone, has lucidly been observed as a prime factor aggravating solitude and ruining social bond. Yes, mobile phones, tablets or other electronic gadgets are useful in expanding people’s knowledge as a cross section of people with new and invaluable ideas are met apart from providing people with opportunities to recharge their batteries or revitalize their energy thereby experiencing personal growth towards making time to connect with their respective emotions and creativity.
True, loneliness, which is especially born to electronic browsing nostalgia, is not just a feeling, but a serious health concern that can have profound and lasting negative impacts on both mental and physical well-being.
Here, asking one crucial question is quite indispensable. Is the technology itself a harmful facet or has the ill-timed and recurrent use of electronic gadgets been demolishing the social bond cemented among/between family members friends, schoolmates, workmates, among others?
Unless the social bond is well flourished through exchange of idea, enjoying playing and eating together etc., those who have accustomed to solitude due to spending long hours mobile browsing can simply attract state of feeling empty, feeling unwanted as well.
In a nutshell, it is important to maintain strong social connections, even if people prefer to spend a majority of their time alone.
As there are healthy times for people to be alone, recurrently entertaining solitude particularly sticking to mobile phones does have much more social disadvantage than its technological pros. Hence, much more time has to be invested thereby seeking meaningful social connections and the right balance along the social strata. Even though there are skills and wisdom people can draw out of being alone, it could by no means be at the expense of the social bond they have genealogically or socially constructed.
BY MENGESHA AMARE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 18, July 2025
