Increasing social isolation

Description:

Social isolation can be defined as the lack of social interaction. Socially isolated people are often thought of as someone who will not, and sometimes cannot, begin and/or maintain a conversation of any length. This, however, is usually not the case. Most socially isolated individuals are quite capable of carrying on conversations, but find this to be an undesirable(very stressful situations for them) and/or unnecessary task.

Traditionally those seeking support with social isolation have had to find it in psychotherapy groups (in a formal setting) and standard social venues of bars and clubs (in informal options).

With the advent of online social networking communities, there are increasing options. Chat rooms, message boards, and other types of communities are now meeting the need for those who would rather stay home alone to do so yet still develop communities of online friends. However, it has been long debated whether this kind of social networking has created a new kind of social isolation in which people avoid or dismiss social situations that imply any type face-to-face interaction like spending time with family and friends in standard social environments (like family gatherings and parties). It has also been debated whether the internet has worsened the social situation by providing people with multiple online services that reduces the need of or even prevent from venturing in any kind of social interaction with other human being.

More on social isolation at wikipedia[1]

Enablers:

1. Increasing inviduality in western cultures

2. Increasing Increasing use of internet [2]

3. Increasing use of computer-mediated communication [3]

4. Power of Information-anywhere, everywhere[4] Increasing Anonimity on th net

Inhibitors:

1. Increasing use online/virtual communities [5]

2. Increasing user-generated content[6]

3. Increasing privacy issues

Paradigms:

1. Cyber-adicts are internet users that spent a big part of their time on online activities, mostly social entow

2. Social networking communities as valid and widely used social environments to meet new people

Web Resources:

1. American Psychosomatic Society. Article on social isolation[7]

2. WebMD portal. Article on the impact of internet on social isolation[8]

3. MySpace - Online Social Networking Community [9]