Is Facebook Making Us LonelyWord格式文档下载.docx

Is Facebook Making Us LonelyWord格式文档下载.docx

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ByStephenMarche

YvetteVickers,aformerPlayboyplaymateandB-moviestar,bestknownforherroleinAttackofthe50FootWoman,wouldhavebeen83lastAugust,butnobodyknowsexactlyhowoldshewaswhenshedied.AccordingtotheLosAngelescoroner’sreport,shelaydeadforthebetterpartofayearbeforeaneighborandfellowactress,awomannamedSusanSavage,noticedcobwebsandyellowinglettersinhermailbox,reachedthroughabrokenwindowtounlockthedoor,andpushedherwaythroughthepilesofjunkmailandmoundsofclothingthatbarricadedthehouse.Upstairs,shefoundVickers’sbody,mummified,nearaheaterthatwasstillrunning.Hercomputerwasontoo,itsglowpermeatingtheemptyspace.

TheLosAngelesTimespostedastoryheadlined“MummifiedBodyofFormerPlayboyPlaymateYvetteVickersFoundinHerBenedictCanyonHome,”whichquicklywentviral.Withintwoweeks,byTechnorati’scount,Vickers’slonesomedeathwasalreadythesubjectof16,057Facebookpostsand881tweets.Shehadlongbeenahorror-movieicon,asymbolofHollywood’scapacitytoexploitourmostbasicfearsinthesilliestways;

nowshewasaniconofanewanddifferentkindofhorror:

ourgrowingfearofloneliness.Certainlyshereceivedmuchmoreattentionindeaththanshedidinthefinalyearsofherlife.Withnochildren,noreligiousgroup,andnoimmediatesocialcircleofanykind,shehadbegun,asanelderlywoman,tolookelsewhereforcompanionship.SavagelatertoldLosAngelesmagazinethatshehadsearchedVickers’sphonebillsforcluesaboutthelifethatledtosuchanend.Inthemonthsbeforehergrotesquedeath,VickershadmadecallsnottofriendsorfamilybuttodistantfanswhohadfoundherthroughfanconventionsandInternetsites.

Alsosee:

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Vickers’swebofconnectionshadgrownbroaderbutshallower,ashashappenedformanyofus.Wearelivinginanisolationthatwouldhavebeenunimaginabletoourancestors,andyetwehaveneverbeenmoreaccessible.Overthepastthreedecades,technologyhasdeliveredtousaworldinwhichweneednotbeoutofcontactforafractionofamoment.In2010,atacostof$300million,800milesoffiber-opticcablewaslaidbetweentheChicagoMercantileExchangeandtheNewYorkStockExchangetoshavethreemillisecondsofftradingtimes.Yetwithinthisworldofinstantandabsolutecommunication,unboundedbylimitsoftimeorspace,wesufferfromunprecedentedalienation.Wehaveneverbeenmoredetachedfromoneanother,orlonelier.Inaworldconsumedbyevermorenovelmodesofsocializing,wehavelessandlessactualsociety.Weliveinanacceleratingcontradiction:

themoreconnectedwebecome,thelonelierweare.Wewerepromisedaglobalvillage;

insteadweinhabitthedrabcul-de-sacsandendlessfreewaysofavastsuburbofinformation.

AttheforefrontofallthisunexpectedlylonelyinteractivityisFacebook,with845millionusersand$3.7billioninrevenuelastyear.Thecompanyhopestoraise$5billioninaninitialpublicofferinglaterthisspring,whichwillmakeitbyfarthelargestInternetIPOinhistory.Somerecentestimatesputthecompany’spotentialvalueat$100billion,whichwouldmakeitlargerthantheglobalcoffeeindustry—oneaddictionpreparingtosurpasstheother.Facebook’sscaleandreacharehardtocomprehend:

lastsummer,Facebookbecame,bysomecounts,thefirstWebsitetoreceive1trillionpageviewsinamonth.Inthelastthreemonthsof2011,usersgeneratedanaverageof2.7billion“likes”andcommentseveryday.OnwhateverscaleyoucaretojudgeFacebook—asacompany,asaculture,asacountry—itisvastbeyondimagination.

Despiteitsimmensepopularity,ormorelikelybecauseofit,Facebookhas,fromthebeginning,beenundersomethingofacloudofsuspicion.ThedepictionofMarkZuckerberg,inTheSocialNetwork,asabastardwithsymptomsofAsperger’ssyndrome,wasnonsense.Butitfelttrue.ItfelttruetoFacebook,ifnottoZuckerberg.Thefilm’smostindeliblescene,theonethatmaywellhaveearneditanOscar,wasthefinal,silentshotofananomicZuckerbergsendingoutafriendrequesttohisex-girlfriend,thenwaitingandclickingandwaitingandclicking—amomentofsuperconnectedlonelinesspreservedinamber.Wehaveallbeeninthatscene:

transfixedbytheglareofascreen,hungeringforresponse.

WhenyousignupforGoogle+andsetupyourFriendscircle,theprogramspecifiesthatyoushouldincludeonly“yourrealfriends,theonesyoufeelcomfortablesharingprivatedetailswith.”Thatonelittlephrase,Yourrealfriends—soquaint,socharminglymothering—perfectlyencapsulatestheanxietiesthatsocialmediahaveproduced:

thefearsthatFacebookisinterferingwithourrealfriendships,distancingusfromeachother,makinguslonelier;

andthatsocialnetworkingmightbespreadingtheveryisolationitseemeddesignedtoconquer.

Facebookarrivedinthemiddleofadramaticincreaseinthequantityandintensityofhumanloneliness,arisethatinitiallymadethesite’spromiseofgreaterconnectionseemdeeplyattractive.Americansaremoresolitarythaneverbefore.In1950,lessthan10percentofAmericanhouseholdscontainedonlyoneperson.By2010,nearly27percentofhouseholdshadjustoneperson.Solitarylivingdoesnotguaranteealifeofunhappiness,ofcourse.Inhisrecentbookaboutthetrendtowardlivingalone,EricKlinenberg,asociologistatNYU,writes:

“Reamsofpublishedresearchshowthatit’sthequality,notthequantityofsocialinteraction,thatbestpredictsloneliness.”True.Butbeforewebeginthefantasiesofhappilyeccentricsingledom,ofdivorcé

esdroppingbytheirknittingcirclesafterworkforglassesofDrewBarrymorepinotgrigio,orrecentcollegegraduateswithperfectlyarticulated,Steampunk-themed,300-square-footapartmentsorganizingcroquetmatcheswiththeirbookclubs,weshouldrecognizethatitisnotjustisolationthatisrisingsharply.It’sloneliness,too.Andlonelinessmakesusmiserable.

Weknowintuitivelythatlonelinessandbeingalonearenotthesamething.Solitudecanbelovely.Crowdedpartiescanbeagony.Wealsoknow,thankstoagrowingbodyofresearchonthetopic,thatlonelinessisnotamatterofexternalconditions;

itisapsychologicalstate.A2005analysisofdatafromalongitudinalstudyofDutchtwinsshowedthatthetendencytowardlonelinesshasroughlythesamegeneticcomponentasotherpsychologicalproblemssuchasneuroticismoranxiety.

Still,lonelinessisslippery,adifficultstatetodefineordiagnose.ThebesttoolyetdevelopedformeasuringtheconditionistheUCLALonelinessScale,aseriesof20questionsthatallbeginwiththisformulation:

“Howoftendoyoufeel…?

”Asin:

“Howoftendoyoufeelthatyouare‘intune’withthepeoplearoundyou?

”And:

“Howoftendoyoufeelthatyoulackcompanionship?

”Measuringtheconditionintheseterms,variousstudieshaveshownlonelinessrisingdrasticallyoveraveryshortperiodofrecenthistory.A2010AARPsurveyfoundthat35percentofadultsolderthan45werechronicallylonely,asopposedto20percentofasimilargrouponlyadecadeearlier.Accordingtoamajorstudybyaleadingscholarofthesubject,roughly20percentofAmericans—about60millionpeople—areunhappywiththeirlivesbecauseofloneliness.AcrosstheWesternworld,physiciansandnurseshavebeguntospeakopenlyofanepidemicofloneliness.

Thenewstudiesonlonelinessarebeginningtoyieldsomesurprisingpreliminaryfindingsaboutitsmechanisms.Almosteveryfactorthatonemightassumeaffectslonelinessdoessoonlysomeofthetime,andonlyundercertaincircumstances.Peoplewhoaremarriedarelesslonelythansinglepeople,onejournalarticlesuggests,butonlyiftheirspousesareconfidants.Ifone’sspouseisnotaconfidant,marriagemaynotdecreaseloneliness.AbeliefinGodmighthelp,oritmightnot,asa1990Germanstudycomparinglevelsofreligiousfeelingandlevelsoflonelinessdiscovered.ActivebelieverswhosawGodasabstractandhelpfulratherthanasawrathful,immediatepresencewerelesslonely.“ThemerebeliefinGod,”theresearchersconcluded,“wasrelativelyindependentofloneliness.”

Butitisclearthatsocialinteractionmatters.Lonelinessandbeingalonearenotthesamething,butbothareontherise.Wemeetfewerpeople.Wegatherless.Andwhenwegather,ourbondsarelessmeaningfulandlesseasy.Thedecreaseinconfidants—thatis,inqualitysocialconnections—hasbeendramaticoverthepast25years.Inonesurvey,themeansizeofnetworksofpersonalconfidantsdecreasedfrom2.94peoplein1985to2.08in2004.Similarly,in1985,only10percentofAmericanssaidtheyhadnoonewithwhomtodiscussimportantmatters,and15percentsaidtheyhadonlyonesuchgoodfriend.By2004,25percenthadnobodytotalkto,and20percenthadonlyoneconfidant.

Inthefaceofthissocialdisintegration,wehaveessentiallyhiredanarmyofreplacementconfidants,anentireclassofprofessionalcarers.AsRonaldDworkinpointedoutina2010paperfortheHooverInstitution,inthelate’40s,theUnitedStateswashometo2,500clinicalpsychologis