Rodriguez, Annalisa. ‘Social media doesn’t mean social isolation.’ USA Today: College. 16 Oct 2012. Retrieved from http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/campuslife/social media doesn’t mean social isolation

The article talks about how individuals living in a certain community find it fun to criticize and mock contemporary society over the issue of using social media. It goes further in comparing how people in the past society used to correlate with one another before the advent of social media, and how the current society is relating after the advent of social media. The article goes ahead and talks about how people lately like blaming social media for their present life situations by romanticizing their pasts. According to Rodriguez, social media is a great asset that only makes people’s social experiences diverse and more productive and links them up in exciting ways. He further argues that social media expands people’s social interactions and makes it easier for them to confide their information to strangers they meet online without getting judged. This article is very relevant in my study since it reveals that social media also has some good that comes with it and not just the negatives presumed by the past society.

Anstead, Nick, and Ben O’Loughlin. “Social Media Analysis and Public Opinion: The 2010 UK General Election”. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, vol 20, no. 2, 2014, pp. 204-220.

This journal argues that social media does not lead to an isolated society as many would like to think. It further goes ahead and explains that social media is a unifying factor among people in the current world. In this journal, the authors demonstrate that people including families and friends are now able to stay connected with their loved ones without incurring extra expenses in communicating. According to Anstead and Ben, people can make new friends with people from all walks of life through social sites such as Facebook. Through global connections, there is now diversity in culture, and people can learn various things. The authors finally argue that social media has played a role in curbing awkwardness when someone finds him/herself in a setting that s/he cannot relate. This journal is also a great asset in my study since it also helps me argue just like the authors that indeed social media has its significance in the present day world.

Strachan, Yukio. “Does social media cause a more isolated society?” Published on Digital Journal (2012). Retrieved from http://digitaljournal.com/article/322982.

Strachan however, has a different opinion when it comes to social media. He argues that social media has drawn people apart and subjected individuals to emotional distance. The author further claims that people in the present society use hashtags much of their time, relating their pictures and social posts to other peoples video posts making them delusional. The article puts it clear that such deeds emulated by individuals deprives them an opportunity to interact physically and isolates them from the public. This article is of great significance to my study and analysis since it reveals some of the negative impacts social media can bring with it if people are not careful.

Huff, Ethan. “Social Networking Leads to Isolation, Not More Connections, Say Academics.” (2013). Retrieved from http://www.naturalnews.com/031128 social networking mental health.html

The article talks about how social networks and mobile handsets have isolated people in society.  Huff compares human operations to the operations of machines since they are over dependant on these technological advancements for their normal functioning. The article again reveals some of the unjust acts that come along with the accessibility to social platforms. Actions such as cyberbullying and cyber crimes have subjected people to emotional torture because of criticisms from others online. Huff says that cyberbullying has interfered with the overall self-image of many individuals and has changed their personalities and way of thinking on the negative. He finishes by trying to give remedies to people on how to promote physical interactions other than just staying online and subjecting themselves to emotional distress. This article develops my study because it shows the reasons why the current society is thought of as an isolated society by revealing some of the adverse effects of social media and technology.