Goldilocks Effect In Adolescents

A study done by the Mental Health Foundation found that in the UK one in ten people feels lonely often, and around 48% of people are getting lonelier in general. It is known that loneliness is a condition that affects the elderly due to a lack of mobility and loss of close friends and family, however, in the past few years alone there has been an increase in the number of people feeling lonely in adolescents and people between the ages of 20 and 30. Many of the contributing aspects are associated with modern living, and to some extent the boom of social media websites and the Internet. Another study done on Taiwanese adolescents showed that people who used the Internet to make friends were in a higher depressive mood as compared with people

Firstly, the Internet allows an individual to put his or her attention on exactly what they want to; and access content relevant to only them. This creates a sense of control and power over this vast sea of information. A term called the ‘Goldilocks effect’ (Turkle 2012) applies here aptly—not too little, not too much but just enough. In the same manner, relationships between individuals online are also falling into this rhythm. People want to be at a distance from one another but not too far as to lose sight of them. They want conversation but in controlled amounts and in the time of their choosing. They want to appear as their best versions at any given time, and so people have the opportunity to retouch photographs, delete aspects of their lives they may not want to reveal to the world and cut out any imperfections that may make them vulnerable. The ultimate implication of all these actions is that genuine connection becomes obscured when the two ends of a relationship are between these virtually ‘better’ people. Without the mess of imperfection, relationships remain at a superficial level

With access to the Internet, one can always be in the company of friends, parents, loved ones and coworkers online. The click of a button immerses an individual with an overload of information about people they may or may not have a real and personal relationship with. According to some sociological research, the average human is incapable of having intimate relations with more than 150 people. Online however, this number could run into thousands and even millions of ‘followers’ or ‘friends’ at a time. People are unable to distinguish between quality and quantity, often substituting the latter with the