Connectivity should build community. But, when it comes to online acquaintances, collecting virtual friends make us lonely, not loved.
In his presentation entitled The Innovation of Loneliness, graphic designer Shimi Cohen says that part of the problem is the fact that we are “expecting more from technology and less from each other.”
In this “focused and minimized” 2-D animation Cohen identifies the factors that drive us to social networking and the unfortunate consequences:
We can put our attention where we want it to be
We will always be heard
We will never be alone
It may feel as though we are making friends, but we’re actually making ourselves lonelier. We’re sacrificing “conversations for connection.” We’re simply using social media to create a better version of ourselves to present to the world. It is shameless self-promotion that we’re free to edit, alter and perpetuate.
Social networking is shaping a new way of being best described as; I share, therefore I am.
The Innovation of Loneliness | YouTube
