The Lonely Epidemic: Social Isolation and Technology

Alarming effects have been found from recent digital technologies on social connections and mental health. The Surgeon General issued a highly publicized advisory on loneliness and another on youth, both replete with evidence of the harm done by social media and the internet generally. But can digital technology also improve social connections? While the harm done by digital media to many people has been well demonstrated, there are also people who thrive on digital connections, particularly people from marginalized groups who have trouble finding each other in physical settings). The Surgeon General advisory on youth points that out on page 6. Another at-risk population is the elderly. The National Academy of Sciences finds that 43% of adults over the age of 60 report feeling lonely. Clinicians and payers would also be interested in the study’s finding that this loneliness makes it harder for these people to use the health care system. It’s natural to lose social contacts as you get older: your friends and family are moving away or dying, you find yourself unable to drive and get around, and you may have to leave your home and familiar friends for an institutional setting. Making Social Media More Social Sara Shanti, a partner specializing in health care at law firm Sheppard Mullin, says that social media and technology platforms could be engineered to do better at forming healthy communities and positive interactions. When conversation turns to depressing or d...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - Category: Information Technology Authors: Tags: Clinical Health IT Company LTPAC Caretakers Catalaize Dor Skuler Healthcare Isolation Healthcare Loneliness Healthcare Social Media Intuition Robotics mental health Sara Shanti Sheppard Mullin social isolation UCLA UCLA Lonel Source Type: blogs