How Social Media Has Glamorized the Idea of Being Alone

Loneliness versus solitude

Photo by Sasha Freemind on Unsplash

Being in solitude is seen as a way to work on oneself without distractions.

“Disappear for six months and work on yourself” is a common message from the hustle community.

And it’s true, solitude has numerous benefits. Being by yourself without distractions will bring up thoughts, often those we have been trying to avoid. This allows us to get in a meditative state or simply gives us time to reassess our direction and repurpose our goals.

However, these nuances are lost in social media’s messages. Instead, the “solitude” that is being propagated on apps like Instagram or TikTok more or less glamorizes not having any friends or purposely neglecting one’s relationships.

Humans are not meant to be alone for long periods of time — without a support system, solitude can quickly and easily turn into loneliness.

Solitude is the state of being alone, while loneliness is the state of feeling alone.

Alone time can be extremely valuable or equally detrimental.

If Person A spends copious amounts of time alone scrolling through social media, browsing dating apps, shopping online, or…