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Category: Featured Articles

Which Careers are at Highest Risk of Elimination due to Automation?
You are probably reading this article on your smartphone or computer. You are enjoying the benefits that come with technology, but have you ever considered what rapidly advancing technology can mean for your future career prospects?

The downside to all this wonderful convenience is that today’s workplace may be a vastly different picture in five years, ten years, twenty years. A 2018 Royal Bank of Canada study predicts that over 50% of all Canadian jobs will see some degree of automation. The best case scenario is that automation complements human workers. The worst case scenario is that human workers are completely replaced by robots, machines, or artificial intelligence software. The following are examples of careers that are at highest risk of the latter:

Cashier

You have probably already seen self-checkout counters in major businesses, such as IKEA, Sobey’s, and Shoppers Drug Mart. You have probably already used them too. For now, cashiers are still needed, especially in smaller businesses that cannot afford the costs of installing and maintaining self-checkout machines.

Telemarketer

Have you noticed more robo-calls compared to cold calls from a real person asking if you want your ducts cleaned? That is automation at work. According to a 2013 study out of Oxford University (The Future of Employment: How susceptible are jobs to computerization? by C.B. Frey and M.A. Osborne), the job of telemarketer has the highest chance of automation in the coming years. Bad news for all: not only are you not likely to land a telemarketer job, you will likely be on the receiving end of more robo-calls to boot.

Tax Preparers

Cashiers and telemarketers at high risk of elimination due to automation—that came as no surprise to me because I have already seen and experienced automation in both of those fields. The job of tax preparation, on the other hand, surprised me. This shows you that I had no idea tax preparation is repetitive, routine, and predictable enough to allow artificial intelligence to do it. H&R Block has already begun to use IBM’s Watson.

You may be thinking: well, my job (either current or intended) is not one of these three, I’m safe! Well, have I got news for you: that 2013 Oxford University study looked at 702 occupations and ranked them all by how likelihood of becoming automated. A website called https://willrobotstakemyjob.com will allow you to search for your job and find out if robots will take your job.

If you see your job has a high likelihood of automation, do not panic! Each decade brings its own concerns and anxieties about how robots will soon replace humans. Sixty years ago, a similar article was probably written with multiple jobs listed—and did you know, in all those years, only one prediction came true? Just one job was made permanently redundant by automation: elevator operators.

References:
February 5, 2024
Jobs Robots Do: Changes in the Workforce

The Industrial Revolution saw amazing changes to the world of manufacturing. It also saw many trained, capable people lose their jobs. In a world of automation, self-driving cars, and increasingly complex artificial intelligence, we stand on the cusp of another revolution. In Canada, almost 42% of labourers are at a very high risk of losing work due to these changes within the next two decades. The idea of work and having jobs has been around in human civilization for millennia. What will happen when the very foundation of this concept is shaken to its core?

In the United States, three million people can expect to lose their jobs as self-driving vehicles take care of deliveries and transportation. Fleets of self-driving trucks have already made treks across Europe. The fields of accounting, health care, policing, education, and more are expected to soon utilize artificial intelligence in increasingly significant ways. Unlike the Industrial Revolution, it could be much more difficult for people to simply transition into other lines of work. Despite the dystopian vibes that this future brings about, there is the potential for humans to enter a whole new era of work.

For the first time in human history, it will not be necessary for the vast majority of people to work long hours. One very likely situation, and a possibility already being discussed in Ontario, is to provide a basic income to everyone that would replace all current welfare programs. Some may criticize this simplistic form of welfare as encouraging laziness, but it could do just the opposite. Creative, artistic, and socially-driven jobs will be in high demand. With our basic needs met through a guaranteed income, we will be free to pursue jobs out of passion as opposed to pressure. The need for creators, teachers, and social workers will continue for many years to come.

Many other lines of work are not expected to disappear entirely. Instead, humans will work alongside ‘cobots’. These robots will perform the less ideal tasks in many lines of work, including the dull and the dangerous. The work left for humans will be more specialized and far less monotonous. It also allows for more free time outside of one’s career. According to the Canadian Occupation Projection System, high-skilled and low-risk careers are expected to become a significant part of the workforce. Approximately 712,000 new jobs are expected between 2014 and 2024 amongst occupations unlikely to be fully automatized.

The idea of jobs, which was remained essentially the same throughout the history of civilization, could be about to undergo a major shift. This is definitely scary, and there will be those who suffer because of it. However, we are on the verge of creating a world of work driven by passion instead of working just to survive. This would be a world full of specialized jobs, in which we use utilize our strengths as humans to our full potential with the assistance of robots. Jobs people do will never be the same.

Sources:

Cixin, Liu. The Robot Revolution Will Be the Quietest One. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/07/opinion/the-robot-revolution-will-be-the-quietest-one.html

Lamb, Creig. The Rise of Robots: Why the Future of Jobs in Canada Isn’t All Doom and Gloom. Brookfield Institute. http://brookfieldinstitute.ca/

February 5, 2024
The Gig Economy and Post-Secondary Students

As students near the end of high school, they tend to start thinking about what career to pursue after graduation. If you are at that point, you might be trying to decide which post-secondary program will suit you best. That might have worked in the past, but the gig economy has changed the future for post-secondary students.

The “gig economy” is a term that has become quite common in recent years. In the past, many people had jobs that lasted an entire career, or at least for many years. They would work in one office or with one company for much or all of that time.

In the gig economy, however, many people work for many different employers. The work tends to be temporary and often flexible or freelance work. People might work for five or more employers at once, or they might work for a series of employers. Some jobs might be full time for a few weeks or months, but other jobs might be only a few hours a week.

The gig economy has been growing in recent years. About one million Canadians are currently struggling to pay their bills by working at several jobs rather than at one main place of employment. For post-secondary students, this situation means rethinking the way that they prepare for the future, especially as they choose the educational path for the future.

Post-secondary education can be expensive. Tuition fees vary from one province to another and are lower for students in undergraduate programs like bachelor’s degrees than for people in graduate programs like master’s or PhD degrees. In 2022-23, the average undergraduate tuition was $6,834, although some fields like engineering and business management cost more. Graduate studies tend to be more expensive than undergraduate courses, and professional programs like medicine cost the most, sometimes more than $23,000 per year.

With these costs, students need to consider the benefits and drawbacks of studying after high school. They need to think about what they hope to get from a post-secondary program and how realistic their goals are. For example, career prospects are important considerations. Experts often say that the large number of upcoming retirements means that jobs will be available for younger people, but no one can predict exactly when and how that change will happen.

One issue is changing technology. In libraries, for example, staffing needs have changed largely because of the information available online. Librarians and library technicians might need to work at several locations to be able to earn a living, or they could use their knowledge of information sources and retrieval to work as consultants for companies that need better ways of organizing documents. Before deciding to spend thousands of dollars on a library-related education, students should consider whether another field might be better.

Many workers in Canada combine a part-time regular employment with several short-term jobs. A few careers, such as medicine and law, tend to be stable jobs, but they can be very busy and stressful in themselves.

Post-secondary students should consider their strengths and weaknesses, including how much pressure they can manage, to deal with the gig economy. With careful consideration of the benefits and drawbacks of their choices, post-secondary students can make the best choices possible to deal with the current situation.

Bibliography

Ching, Ping, et al. “Paid Employment, Self-Employment and Gig Work in Administrative and Survey Data.” https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11f0019m/11f0019m2023003-eng.htm.

Investopedia. “Gig Economy: Definition, Factors Behind It, Critique & Gig Work.” https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/gig-economy.asp.

Mullin, Malone. “2 Jobs, 2 Side Hustles, and Never Enough Cash: How the Gig Economy Is Wearing This Banking Intern Thin.” https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/the-grind-gig-economy-1.7040910.

Statistics Canada. “Tuition Fees for Degree Programs, 2022/2023.” https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220907/dq220907b-eng.htm.

January 8, 2024
High School Graduation Requirements in BC

Getting into high school can be an exciting time, with more independence than in earlier years and the idea of planning for future work or studies. Even with extra freedom to choose their path, however, students in British Columbia should remember to keep the province’s graduation requirements in mind.

Schools in British Columbia, like in other provinces, can vary widely. Some offer mainly academic subjects like history and mathematics while others offer courses in subjects like electronics or construction. However, all high school students must complete eighty credits to graduate, including fifty-two credits for required courses and at least twenty-eight credits for elective (optional) courses.

In high school, a credit is the value of a course in counting towards graduation. For example, a language arts or mathematics course counts as four credits towards the eighty that students must reach, and many other courses count for the same amount. Students can choose to work very hard in the first part of high school so that their final year can be easier. However, at least sixteen credits must be at the Grade 12 level. One course must be in language arts, and another must be a career-life connections course.

High school students are supposed to learn about a variety of subjects so that they can have a balanced education. The required courses include language arts, mathematics, social studies (which might be divided into geography and history), science (including biology, chemistry, or physics), physical and health education, arts or applied design, career life education, and at least four credits in an Indigenous-related course.

Elective courses vary, depending on the school’s ability to offer courses beyond the basics. Many schools have courses in music, whether in singing or in learning to play an instrument. Some places might offer theatre courses or classes in public speaking or debating. Others might have computer programming classes or automotive topics. Most schools offer courses in at least one language such as French or German, and some might offer classes in languages such as Tagalog or Swahili, depending on what the people in the neighbourhood want.

Besides the coursework, students are required to pass at least three standardized tests that the province has developed, the Grade 10 Literacy Assessment, the Grade 10 Numeracy Assessment, and the Grade 12 Literacy Assessment. These tests are designed to show that students can read well and that they are able to do basic mathematical calculations such as adding and subtracting. These are important skills for almost any job. Career courses also help to prepare students for finding work when they graduate.

The requirements for graduation are designed to ensure that every student finishes high school with basically the same level of education, but this does not always work. Some schools have trouble offering more than the basics, while others might have so many electives that students can become overwhelmed.

When choosing high school courses in BC, as anywhere else, it is important to keep long-term goals in mind. If possible, students should also consider the job market and try to take courses that fit with what employers are likely to need. Meeting the high school graduation requirements can help students meet their own needs and prepare for the future.

Bibliography

BC for High School. “Graduation Program.” https://bcforhighschool.gov.bc.ca/offshore/bc-curriculum-assessment-overview/graduation-program/.

North Delta Secondary. “Graduation Requirements.” https://nd.deltasd.bc.ca/course-selection/bc-graduation-requirements/.

Province of British Columbia. “Graduation Requirements.” https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/legislation-policy/public-schools/graduation-requirements.

Vancouver School Board. “BC Secondary School 80 Credit Graduation Program Requirements.” https://media.vsb.bc.ca/media/Default/medialib/bc-grad-requirements.b897c761003.pdf.

January 8, 2024
Benefits and Drawbacks of Ontario’s Co-op Programs

Traditional forms of education can be good, but sometimes students need a different style of learning. Ontario’s co-op programs can be a good choice for students who know the benefits and drawbacks of this option.

Co-op programs are good ways of learning important skills while preparing for paid employment. In some ways, co-op programs are like apprenticeships. Students take courses but then have the chance to gain practical experience, including learning how to apply for co-op programs or gaining interview skills that could help make the process of getting work easier.

Learning through a co-op program can be a good choice, but students should be aware of the benefits and drawbacks. Co-op programs can be very competitive, and it can be difficult to get a spot. For people who get in, the work can be quite demanding. Even students who get into the program might not be able to find extra work so that they can get the experience they need. Sometimes, the volunteer work included in the program can also cause stress.

Despite these possible disadvantages, many students find co-op programs useful. Many of these programs have a break every four months. Students get experience in the interview process and learn how to communicate with employers, other employees, and customers. Knowing how to deal with issues at work can help people find and keep good jobs after they finish the program.

The main idea behind a co-op program is to show what a career in a certain field is like. Students learn how to apply for jobs, including creating resumes geared towards the type of job the student wants. A resume for a teaching position, for example, would be different from a resume for a job as an electrician. Through a co-op program, students get practical experience in the skills that they will need for the future.

Ontario has various co-op programs in different fields. Co-op programs should be at an academic institution that the provincial government has authorized to offer diplomas and degrees. Work experience must be part of the program, and the university or college must allow students to be paid for the work. The students in these programs should also have full-time status, even if they are not taking full time courses.

Co-op programs can be very useful for students who are able to balance work and studies. Being well organized is important since instructors generally expect students to keep track of their assignments and to hand them in when they are due. Getting to class or work on time is also important.

Students who want to enroll in a co-op program should first decide if the program fits with their goals. For many people, one of the main benefits is the chance to get practical experience before they try to find a regular job. This way, they can discover the areas where they still need to learn more and then focus on improving in those areas. Connections that people make with potential employers through co-op programs can also be very helpful for the future.

Co-op programs are not for everyone, but they can be a good choice. If you consider the benefits and drawbacks of these programs, you might decide that this style of education is right for you.

Bibliography

Campbell, Tess. “Everything You Need to Know About Co-op Programs as an International Student.” https://www.studyincanada.com/Discover/Article/1/5577/Everything-You-Need-to-Know-About-Co-op-Programs-as-an-International-Student.

Government of Canada. “Post-Secondary/Internship Programs.” https://www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/jobs/services/recruitment/students/coop-internship.html.

LaValle, Javier. “What Is a Co-op Program in Canada?” https://www.thrivve.ca/blog/what-is-a-co-op-program-in-canada.

University of Waterloo. “Advantages and Challenges of the Co-op System of Study.” https://uwaterloo.ca/psychology/current-undergraduate-students/experiential-learning/psychology-co-op/advantages-and-challenges-co-op-system-study.

January 8, 2024
Work-Life Balance: Implementing Work Boundaries in a Remote Setting

The world had changed in many ways since 2020 and the pandemic – especially in the working world. For young people who are now entering the workforce for the first time, you’re joining a working world vastly different than that of your parent’s generation. Hybrid and remote workplaces abound; some companies that went fully remote in 2020 remain so, while others are beginning to create hybrid office/work-from-home structures that can offer appealing flexibility and convenience.

But remote work has its own challenges, especially when it comes to separating your work life from your home life when both are taking place inside the same house or apartment. It may be nice to have a 30-second commute to your desk, and the flexibility to shift the hours you work or step away for an errand or appointment. But the danger here is that your personal time and work time will all blend together, leading to less efficient work and less relaxing life.

This is why setting boundaries is important, especially for young workers who are eager to impress at a new job. While it’s important to be present and productive in a remote work job, having appropriate boundaries will help maintain a healthy work-life balance.

While there are lots of ways to set boundaries around remote working, two of the broader ways to do this are establishing your work hours and defining your workspace.

Clearly Establish Your Working Hours

One important way to set boundaries while working remotely is to clearly establish your working hours. Speak with your boss about your schedule and settle on working hours that work for you – and then stick to them. This means being available and responsive within your established workday, and notifying your boss or teammates if you will be unavailable unexpectedly (such as stepping out for an appointment).

Establishing clear working hours also means resisting the urge to work “after hours” during what should be your personal time. While emergencies can happen in any job which may require working late once in a while, both you and your coworkers should respect your off-hours and leave any non-emergency work until the next workday.

It can be difficult, especially for young adults new to the workforce, to say “no” when it comes to work tasks, but learning to do so politely and professionally is important to maintaining your boundaries and your work-life balance.

Define Your Workspace

This one can be tricky, especially if you’re living in a small apartment or sharing a house with other people. When working remotely, it is a good idea to clearly define your workspace within your home, and then keep your work time and work activities there.

While having a separate room with a door that you can use as an office is ideal, not everyone has that option. Even if you’re a bit strapped for space, try to set up a desk or table as your workspace. Having a designated workspace makes it easier to separate “work time” from “personal time” by whether you’re sitting at your workspace or not – similar to how in a traditional workplace, when you leave your desk at the end of the day, you’re no longer on “work time.”

This also helps with productivity, as it will be easier to get into a work-mode mindset when you have a specific place to work, and makes it easier for your mind to relax on your off-hours because you’re not sitting at your workspace.

January 8, 2024
Building Resilience in Children: Strategies for Teachers and Parents
Without question, having resilience remains necessary as working through challenges is a part of life. It’s best to begin building resilience early on, meaning during childhood, so that more opportunities to build are seized and individuals will likely end up better equipped for these inevitable challenges. Teachers as well as parents have this responsibility since they’re usually the most influential figures in children’s lives. However, it can be a feat that’s tricky to approach. If you’ve been thinking about this and you’re a teacher or parent looking for advice on building resilience in your children, here are some strategies:

Help Them Improve Their Self-Esteem

Self-esteem can be linked to resilience. If children have confidence in themselves, there’s a better chance of them believing that they’re able to overcome the obstacles they encounter.

Introduce Healthy Ways of Handling Disappointment/Negative Emotions

One effective way is changing their perspective. For instance, if/when they’re initially disappointed by a certain outcome, such as losing a game or getting lower grades than expected, encourage them to see the positive side(s) of it.

Some questions that could be asked in cases like these are:
- What did you learn?
- What would you do next time for a better result? (If applicable)
- Could the outcome have been worse?
When building resilience in children, also ensuring that they learn how to process negative emotions so they’re more knowledgeable about navigating them going forward is crucial. Using outlets including journalling, drawing, and discussing the experience with someone remain good options for expressing themselves as well as making sense of what they’re feeling. Overall, children shouldn’t stifle their feelings to build resilience. It should encompass gaining proper tools for coping with these feelings in order to not only successfully continue on, but also do so in a healthier way.

Provide Continuous Guidance And Support

Building resilience may look/seem different depending on the child, but providing continuous guidance and support when engaging with what’s stated above regardless is important. This process will likely be ongoing due to the various types of difficult experiences they’ll face, so even if you’re seeing desired results your job may not necessarily be done. Being available to guide at any time during these moments definitely makes a difference.

Ideal as well as reasonable goals to work toward as a parent or teacher include:
- Finding a balance between remaining supportive and not providing too much intervention when the child faces certain challenges.
- Establishing that there is (or will be) an expectation for them to manage some difficult emotions, experiences, setbacks, etc. responsibly but also them understanding that they’re not alone in it.
Building resilience in children is a very important and at times difficult task that teachers and parents must take on. A good combination of strategies to tackle it includes improving their self-esteem, determining what healthy methods of coping with their negative emotions work best, and providing support and guidance throughout the process while having feasible goals in this respect. All in all, if you consider using these suggested strategies, you’re on your way to effectively building resilience in the children you teach or your own.
January 8, 2024
The Concerning Trend B.C. of Apprenticeship Completion Rates: Future Improvements
For those looking for work in the trades, they benefit from proper certification. Individuals need to complete a trades apprenticeship, where they gain on-the-job experience under an employer. While certification offers advantages such as more job opportunities, larger wages, greater job security, and greater career advancement, not every apprentice completes their program. A Statistics Canada dataset reveals that B.C. apprentice certification rates have struggled to reach over 50 per cent in the last decade.

Besides 2023, whose numbers are yet to be released, these rates have fluctuated between 44 to 51 per cent from 2013 to 2022. B.C. only recently started to require certification in some trades under its new Skilled Trades Certification. Until 2023, B.C. was the only province to allow non-certified individuals to work in trades.

Explaining Apprentice Certification

Apprenticeships combine job experience with classroom training. These programs range from one to five-years and most last four years. At the end of their apprenticeship, apprentices take an exam for their Certification of Qualification (CoQ) or Interprovincial Red Seal.

All apprentices need to take the CoQ exam, which is needed to take a Red Seal exam. CoQs certify B.C. tradespeople to work within the province. There are 54 trades classified as Red Seal, which certify individuals to work across Canada.

Job Outlooks for Apprentices in B.C.

A survey conducted by BC student outcomes in 2022 said that 98 per cent of apprenticeship students were employed full-time. In the previous year, 99 per cent of apprenticeship students were working full-time. In both years, most of those respondents enrolled in electrician programs compared to other trades.

Construction is another field that sees great promise. Apprenticeship certification saw a country-wide drop during the pandemic but a few “construction-related trades” saw stable and slightly increased certification between 2020 to 2021. Statistics Canada credits this stability to construction’s designation as essential during the pandemic, meaning many restrictions did not impact the field as significantly. B.C. sees value in the construction sector as well. WorkBC’s Labour Market Outlook for 2022-2032 forecasted approximately 72,700 construction job openings, the third-highest within major industries.

Factors of Low Certification

Despite the positive employment rates and outlooks, this fails to explain the low certification rates. The B.C. Chamber of Commerce in 2021 looked at ways to improve these apprenticeship completion rates. They recommended that the province should reintroduce mandatory certification, which is now in progress. Among the Chamber’s findings, they outlined circumstances around these low numbers:
- Program registrations and certifications have increased, but these rises applied to a “small number of trades and a subset of newly established subtrades” that do not grant workers the same benefits as Red Seal trades, which require country-wide certifications.
- The rates implied the lack of mandatory certification decreased motivation for apprenticeship completion.
- C. faced the largest decline in Real Seal certification when comparing 2001-2004 rates with 2011-2014.
- C. tradespeople suffered four times the amount on injuries on the job compared to those in Ontario. This implies that the BC system did not ensure the same amount of workplace safety.
With more mandatory B.C. certification increasing its reach this year, this implementation will help push certification within the province. Though the past trend indicated low numbers, more mandatory certification seeks to equip tradespeople with the necessary training and expertise expected within the B.C. labour force. There is a future in the trades.
January 8, 2024
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women: Addressing the Crisis

By Avreet Jagdev

Across Canada, Indigenous communities continue to face many ongoing injustices, including overrepresentation in the criminal justice system, higher rates of unemployment, and poorer health conditions. One issue that impacts Indigenous women, girls, and LGBTQI+ people in particular is experiencing a disproportionate rate of violence, including kidnapping and homicide. This is such a large issue that the term MMIWG2S (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People) has been coined to refer to it.

As the Assembly of First Nations reports, Indigenous women are four times more likely to be victims of violence than women who are not Indigenous. Although they only make up 4.3% of the Canadian population, they represent 16% of all female murder victims and 11% of missing women. Indigenous women are also more likely to experience physical and sexual assault, compared to non-Indigenous women. Despite these shocking statistics, the Canadian Government has failed to adequately address the issue. In 2016, a national inquiry into the issue was put in place. It resulted in 231 calls to justice directed at the government, institutions, social services, and Canadian individuals, which tackled areas requiring reform including education, justice, and health. As of June 2023, only two of these 231 calls to justice were complete. In 2014, Prime Minister Stephen Harper even stated that MMIWG2s was not “high on their radar”.

These examples showcase that the MMIWG2S crisis is not just an issue about the violence that Indigenous women and girls experience, but government and institutional inaction regarding the violence.

The MMIWG2S crisis is rooted in the longstanding oppression of Indigenous people in Canada. The high level of violence faced by Indigenous women, girls, and 2-spirit people is due to their identity as both Indigenous and as gendered, so MMIWG2S is an Indigenous and Gender justice issue.

Amnesty International Canada has declared this violence against Indigenous women an issue of human rights and launched a campaign called “No More Stolen Sisters” in response to the issue of MMIWG2S. They cite a number of factors which contribute to the ongoing crisis, including racist and sexist stereotypes towards Indigenous women, which causes perpetrators to believe that their acts of violence against Indigenous women will not be met with justice. Additionally, the ongoing legacies of colonialism of Indigenous communities lead to the risk of Indigenous women experiencing violence, due to impoverishment, the lasting harm of residential schools, lack of access to resources, and disempowerment within their very communities. Lastly, a key factor is the decades of inaction by governments and law enforcement, which has allowed the violence against Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people to continue.

There are several things that young people across the country can do to help address the crisis. The most important step is to be educated about MMIWG2S, as well as other ongoing injustices that Indigenous communities face. Here are a few places to learn more:

Lakota People’s Law Project: MMIW Resource Guide

We R Native: What is the MMIW Movement?

Additionally, it is important to use your voice to amplify the issue. You can do this by talking about it with your friends, doing a project on the issue in school, or circulating information on social media.

January 8, 2024
Loneliness in the Age of the Internet

By Bhargavi Venkataraman

With access to millions of people’s thoughts, likes, dislikes, interests, and lives at your fingertips, it seems like this age of humanity should give rise to the most connected population since the beginning of mankind. However, research and conversations around loneliness with social media tell a very different story.

Since its invention in the 1900s, the Internet has played a crucial role in education, work, and leisure. While it has had numerous beneficial effects such as improving efficiency and communication across professions, in the 1990s it sparked debate on whether Internet use harms participation in community life and social relationships and increases loneliness. Loneliness can be defined as an unpleasant sensation arising from lack of adequate social contact and relationships. It can have detrimental effects on health by elevating stress levels, causing mental health disorders and contributing to physical health issues as a result.

Studies have shown that greater internet use is associated with lowered communication with family, a reduction in the size of social circles, and depression and loneliness. This may be due to people investing too much time online and as a result, too little time with their real life relationships or contrarily, lonely people find themself online more as they are seeking connectedness, companionship, and community membership. This is a phenomenon that has been exacerbated with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, to the extent that loneliness was considered as a major public health issue during this time.

My personal experience with social media is that it has the potential to both be a boon and a curse. I am grateful for it in times like when long distance from friends and family or when connecting with communities you would never otherwise have a chance to meet. However, the problems arise when it starts inciting feelings of FOMO and loneliness after prolonged use and when it preoccupies me to the point that I start losing contact with my real-life connections. At times like this, it seems like my only choice is to completely rid myself of the issue and get off social media.

To begin, I only really use 3 forms of social media: Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Of these, I find that I predominantly use Facebook for its messaging capabilities, Instagram to stay updated with friends and TikTok for entertainment. As such, the first platform that I shut off is TikTok. I thoroughly enjoy scrolling on TikTok and have found so many accounts that connect me to things I am not always able to access in real life such as videos of my homeland. However, when I notice that I’m spending too much time online, I think I could afford to lose those connections and replace them with conversations with my family. Next, I shut off Instagram. I find that this is especially necessary to limit FOMO from seeing everyone’s stories and posts. While it does restrict my interactions with friends, sometimes it is necessary to ask them to message me on a dedicated messages app like through iMessage. I only close Facebook when I am doing a full social media cleanse as I don’t find that it creates many negative feelings in me. It mostly acts as a tool to connect with friends. However, during a cleanse, it might be beneficial to delete it just to prevent any temptations.

Considering all this information, an important question that arises is, what can you do about this issue? The most obvious solution is limiting use of social media, much as I had done previously. While the extent of the limitation might differ according to individual preferences and capabilities, research evidence backs up the fact that cutting back on social media use can have a positive impact on wellbeing. One study looked at cutting back on Facebook use for a month in 3,000 regular Facebook users. The results showed that people missed the online interaction on the platform but observed benefits such as lowered online activity (including in other social media platforms) and increased offline activities such as spending time with loved ones or watching TV alone.

Overall, deactivating Facebook seemed to improve subjective well-being by about 25-40% as much as regular psychological interventions. Another study was done in the University of Pennsylvania with 143 undergraduate students who were asked to follow their regular social media use for 3 weeks or limit Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat use to 10 minutes each per day. Results showed that the group with limited use had reductions in loneliness and depression compared to the control group and that both groups experienced less FOMO and anxiety than their baseline.

As such, in this age of technology and social media, loneliness is an unfortunate side effect of extensive online activity. While it may not be realistic for everyone to do a complete social media cleanse, I highly recommend giving moderated social media use a try. You can do this through self-monitoring, try it out with a friend to keep you accountable or download apps like AppBlock, Flipd, Focus, etc. to help you stay on track. No matter the method, it is sure to have some benefits to your wellbeing!

January 8, 2024

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Twenty Twenty-Five

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