As I ask that question, I sincerely hope that you have all of the loyal friends that you want. However, not everyone does. A recent Fox News Headline labeled millennials as “The Loneliest Generation.”
A recent study found that “25 percent of millennials say they have no acquaintances, 27 percent say they have no close friends and 30 percent say they have no best friends. 22 percent of the millennials surveyed report that they have zero friends.” Zero friends? That is sad, astounding, and frightening.
While there can be a number of contributing factors, one study from the University of Pennsylvania points out the role that the internet and social media can play. It would seem that over-reliance on social media, masking as genuine people connections, can inhibit individuals in developing real face-to-face relationships. It may even impact their ability to know how to even begin to connect.
While we all know the benefits to be gained by using social media (as a matter of fact, some of you may be reading this on Facebook right now), we also need to be alert to its detriments. In order to have healthy relationships we have to be vigilant to not allow our virtual world to masquerade as the real thing.
So, make sure today that you connect with real flesh and bone people in a meaningful manner.