Social Media As a Tool for Social Disconnectedness – Analyzing the Facebook Usage Pattern of Youth in Delhi

Today, we all very proudly boast of the fact that we live in an era of technology. It has become immensely easy for us to know what is going around the world with merely a click on the screen. Undoubtedly, today we are highly connected with each other. We know what our friends, relatives and acquaintances are doing every day in their respective lives. But, the irony lies in the fact that the connection that has been established today among us is primarily limited to social media. Quite possibly, for an instance, we might never even talk to our neighbor next-door if we pass by them on the street. But, what updates they make on their Facebook profiles are of utmost interest to us.

Particularly, talking about youth today and their engagement on social media platforms, it would not be wrong to say that they are living in a virtual world of social media and are very distant from their real lives. This excessive usage of social media by youth has certainly changed the way they behave and also communicate. Ranging from few hours to staying online almost the whole day on social media, youngsters are today more interested in their virtual lives rather than the one they lead in reality. Gone are those days, when youngsters used to share their problems with their parents, siblings or close friends. Owing to the same, the bonds among the youth with either their families or friends has undergone a massive change.For an instance, it has now become more important for them to update photos of any event online rather than enjoying the same. Thus, by analyzing the Facebook usage pattern of youth in Delhi, an effort has been made by the researchers to understand social disconnectedness as a result of social media.