How the Internet Is Making Socialization Acerbic

Once, I stayed at a relative’s house for nearly three hours. Our gossip and conversations were wonderful, and we enjoyed every moment together. Just before my departure, I asked about their children. I was astonished by what I heard. They were inside the house, in a nearby room, completely absorbed in their cellphones and virtual world. For parents of the 21st century, this is no longer surprising. It has become a normal way of living. Children without smartphones in their hands are rarely seen nowadays.

They often show little interest in the physical world around them. Face-to-face conversations, suggestions, and casual talks are frequently treated as meaningless or a waste of time. Many neither know nor wish to learn the process of building real friendships, receiving advice from elders, or understanding everyday human emotions — happiness, anger, compassion, and forgiveness. They lack the patience to listen to the stories of octogenarians — their struggles and hardships of the past. Instead, they dive into the internet and fetch whatever information they need from its vast pool.

Information found online is often considered more authentic and trustworthy than the wisdom shared by elders. Mobile phones have become like a body appendage. For many, the internet is paramount. Even if they lack confidence in talking with friends or elders in person, they communicate fluently in the virtual world with people they have never seen or met. They often disregard advice from older generations, yet follow tips from Google, ChatGPT, or YouTube as if they were close relatives or well-wishers. This shift is drastically changing the concept of socialization.

Is socialization an essential ingredient of human life? Do we inherit it, or is it an acquired quality? The answer is clear — yes, socialization is an inevitable part of human existence. It runs through our blood. A solitary life is boring, cumbersome, and often meaningless. A completely isolated person resembles a cybernetic organism from a science-fiction movie like Terminator. Socialization began as soon as the earliest humans came into existence.

Humans are not social creatures only because of their advanced brains. Nearly all animals — even simple organisms — prefer to live in clusters or groups. We see wild animals moving in herds through forests to hunt or graze. In this sense, it can be said that most living creatures on this planet possess some form of social behavior for survival and cooperation.

Socialization is the process that creates harmony among people living within a community. It helps people share hardships, happiness, culture, faith, success, and failure. It provides a sense of security and strengthens individuals both emotionally and socially. It enables communities to face challenges together. Greeting elders, celebrating festivals with relatives, borrowing from neighbors, helping those in need, and supporting people in emergencies are all examples of socialization. These behaviors are now deeply embedded in human nature.

On the other hand, electronic gadgets and the internet are remarkable achievements of science and technology. They are powerful tools and, in many ways, a blessing. However, they have attached themselves to our lives like an extra limb. Modern society can hardly imagine a world without them. For many young people, a world without the internet sounds like an ancient legend. Yet such a world existed only a few decades ago.

Consider the daily routines of our ancestors without the internet. They performed household tasks with enthusiasm, dedication, and concentration. Families shared tea, meals, and conversations together. They sat in front of the television to watch serials, movies, or news and spent quality time as a unit. These moments strengthened emotional bonds and nurtured intimacy. They helped families stand together through both good times and bad. This was the natural picture of human social life.

In a nutshell, we learn socialization everywhere — at home, in school, in markets, at weddings, ceremonies, birthdays, and social gatherings. It begins at the cradle and continues to the grave. In contrast, excessive dependence on mobile devices and the internet is disrupting this organic process. It weakens local social connections and increases loneliness. Family members may be physically present at home, yet mentally immersed in the virtual world.