Abstract
Internet is an integral part of people today. It influences many spheres of lives, including the emotional one. Influences on this sphere, and particularly on the feeling of loneliness is one of the most discussed issues since it is claimed that social networking enhances loneliness. However, there is evidence that such influence does not exist and usage of networking account helps people to develop social skills.
In any case, social networking influences life of people, especially of those who because of some reason feel lonely. Paying attention to the fact that there are various levels of loneliness, and particularly little, average, and severe, it is possible to identify a range of actions which are tended to be performed by people with each level respectively.
A range of studies which examine social, emotional condition and areas of brain which are responsible for feeling lonely, communication, social interaction and other actions and emotions which are associated with communication, explain the reasons of such differences (Dykstra, Fokkema, 2007).
Introduction
Nowadays the Internet is a very important part of people’s life. It is essential for successful education, work, and also communication. With the process of globalization and development of innovative technologies people became attracted to social networking, such as Twitter or Facebook and started devoting more and more time to these networks.
However, for some people usage of social networking is only means to become interacted, while for others, and these are the majority, social networking is the main way to have some connection with the society. Today social networking and particularly usage of Facebook provides people with all the necessary social interaction in terms of friendship, communication, leisure, and even relationships (Boomsma, D2005).
On the basis of this fact social networks were blamed to contribute to loneliness of people – spending more time online, they do not pay much attention to meeting people in real life, so they lose their friends and become even lonelier.
At the same time it was noticed by the researchers that a range of other spheres of life and attitudes are affected by usage of social networking, such as attitudes towards self and other people. One of the researchers found that “Facebook users have higher narcissism, exhibitionism and leadership levels than those who do not use Facebook.”
Probably, the reason is that the network became the place to speak about self, to share one’s feelings, attitudes, likes and dislikes, posting and writing something frenetically in order to reach as much audience as possible. Thus, social networking started meaning more and more for people and for this it became blamed for making people lonely.
However, regardless of the fact whether lonely people became such because of social networking or not, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that similarly to the way Facebook contributed to various spheres of people’s lives, it contributed to the attitude modes of people and their behavior when they are online.
According to the data provided by the American consulting firm Euromonitor, “over 270 million people in the world, almost 4 …