'The End Of Solitude'

Solitude is the state of being alone or feeling lonely in an inhabited place. The definition of solitude has evolved since technology was introduced to us humans. In “The End of Solitude,” Deresiewicz says that electronics have made us incapable of being alone – that we no longer appreciate solitude because it causes fear in us. He also argues that we are replacing solitude by being in constant communication with social media. “This is what the contemporary self wants. It wants to be recognized, wants to be connected: It wants to be visible. If not to the millions, on Survivor or Oprah, then to the hundreds, on Twitter or Facebook.” We use social media to find a sense of belonging because we fear being idle; it allows us to exist in the technology
Romanticism, “the self is validated by a congruity of public appearance and private essence - one that stabilizes its relationship with both itself and others.” Here, he defines solitude as harmony, because people didn’t seek validation of existence while in public – they were able to be alone while in a crowded area. Modernism, “harsher, more adversarial, more isolating…the arena of self discovery, a voyage through inferior realms…. “ He believes solitude in this era was where people isolated themselves, but not by choice. People then were marginalized, couldn’t communicate afar, and were self-enclosed. And post modernism, “But the Internet is as powerful a machine for the production of loneliness as television is for the manufacture of boredom.” We are in the era, and Deresiewicz believes that technology has controlled our
“Technology is taking away our privacy and our concentration, but it is also taking away our ability to be alone. A teenager I know had sent 3,000 text messages one recent month... So on average, she’s never alone for more than 10 minutes at once. Which means, she’s never alone.” (par. 2) Although it may seem that Deresiewicz isn’t fond of technology, he appreciates how it allows people to communicate, allows minorities such as LGBT to be accepted, and allows people to stay in touch while afar. But, he also mentions that that no longer exists. We have relied on the internet for our daily needs that we constantly need to stimulated through our contacts, social media, web pages, etc. Deresiewicz’s also argues that we cannot hear god if people are “…chattering at you.” (par.4) In a religious aspect, this may be true because some people need solitude to feel more connected to their religion. But, how does one simply hear God? I believe this is spiritual, and it is not always being in solitude that connects you with God, but rather your state of