‘The innovation of loneliness’ is an animated short film uploaded by Shimi Cohen as their final project at
Shenkar College of Engineering and Design. It tackles about the connection between social networks
created in the internet and being lonely. According to it, in the computer age, loneliness is also innovated
because the only form of socialization we can afford easily in this demanding world is the shallow
connections we created in the internet. This 4-minute video captures the interest of many viewers since
it contains analysis that stirs arguments between those who agree with it and those who do not.
Personally, I am conflicted, a part of me agrees to it because of what I observed but there are some parts
of the video that I do not agree with and I feel like they did not consider a different angle to view the
impact of social media to the social life of human beings.
The animated short film is truly interesting, the main point and arguments of the video were relay
effectively with the help of its smooth narration, and the animation is clear and aids to the message the
video is trying to convey. It shows how we slowly replace real world conversation with social media
connection because in this era, it is more convenient to do so and in trying to use the internet as a
substitute, we fail to notice that we collect online friends like stamps, but even though we have a bunch
of online friends we still feel lonely because it should always be quality over quantity. The video stresses
that the countless relationships we form on the internet are shallow, superficial, and lack intimacy that is
why no matter how many online friends we have, we still feel empty since it does not fill the void that
only in-person conversation can satisfy. It states that these connections are all just an illusion since the
people we talked to are the edited version of themselves and the person we present to them is also not
the real us. Additionally, it states that we cannot build relationship on the internet because our attention
is on our online persona. In short, it shows us that technology is really scary because it is marketed as a
solution so we will never feel alone while at the same time it’s contributing to our loneliness because it is
taking us away from the reality and we cannot feel real world connections.
At first, the video sounds like an opinion from older generation who are not good with technology and
scared to be left behind, but as I watch it for few more times, I realize that it has a point specially when I
heard “we claim to have many friends while being lonely”, which I experienced before. Back then, I have
many online friends but when I am outside in the real world, I have no one to talk to. I also felt that I
don’t really know who they are and they don’t know the real me, so I have no idea if they will be also my
friends in the real world when my personality is different from what I portray in social media. I also
realize that overreliance to social media impair our skills to connect with people in the real world and
since we focus too much on our online image and personality, we often forgot to improve our real selves.
I agree with the video but I have a small problem with it, it assumes that all of us are obsessed with
social media but some people do not take it too seriously and only use it solely for entertainment.
Moreover, it did not consider the fact that there are bonds created on the internet that continues in real
life and the people we meet there can actually gives us real happiness. Furthermore, there are people
who are not good in communicating in person that uses social media to express themselves and build
relationship with other people, which they are incapable of doing in real life. Honestly, I think without
the internet these people will be lonelier because they won’t have anyone to talk to and mingle with.
Humans are social creature, so without social interaction we will feel lonely, because of that, technology
offers an easier way to interact with other people which somehow help us relieve loneliness and build
relationship with other people, however; obsession with social media can make us more depressed and
lonelier. That is why, we should find a balance. Before, I think having online friends is enough because
It’s great to have friends that we cannot touch but can reach our soul but I realize, isn’t better to have
someone who can do both?
