Social media, we love it but we can also hate it. It’s a blessing in that we can stay connected with old friends and relatives that we would otherwise probably not communicate with. We can quickly and easily reach out to people. Through social media we can convey a message to a large group of people in one fell swoop.
Unfortunately, the downside of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, etc. can be very dark. A report from the Survey Center on American Life just found that the percentage of people, especially men, who have no real friends has fallen to shockingly low numbers.
Heartbreaking: 15% of men and 10% of women in America have no close friends. The decline is most pronounced among men. In 1990, only 3% of men reported having no close friends. In 2021, the number rose to 15%. We need to help; friendship strongly predicts life satisfaction. pic.twitter.com/lZtJM4J0D1
— Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman ⛵🛵 (@sbkaufman) June 28, 2021
As author and Dr. Kaufman reported, back in 1990 only 3 percent of men reported having no close friends. That figure has now risen 5-fold to 15 percent, or almost one in six. No close friends. Not one.
Social media certainly isn’t all to blame for this rise. There are plenty of other factors one can point to, including the sharp fall in church attendance. When you are not part of a community, it’s hard to make close friends. Many people reluctantly attend church or reluctantly join a small group, but then they end up making great friends in the process.
It’s time to back off on the time sink known as social media. If you are lacking in this area, decide today to invest your time in meeting real people and making real friends. It will be worth it.
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