Connection and Isolation

Connection is feeling close to other people and part of a group. Isolation is being apart from others for long periods, with little contact. Technology affects both, and this matters for wellbeing, which is how well you feel in yourself.

Staying in contact

Messaging, video calls and shared online spaces make it quick and cheap to keep in touch with people far away. A teenager whose grandparents live abroad can video call them each week, and a group of friends can plan a weekend together in minutes. Contact like this supports wellbeing: you can share problems, arrange to meet and feel part of other people's lives.

Contact is not the same as feeling connected

Being able to send messages does not guarantee that you feel connected. Remote contact is often short and aimed at a task, such as a quick message about bringing the equipment to practice, so it misses the small talk and shared jokes that make people feel close. Someone who swaps messages all evening with a team from an online club can still have nobody to sit with at break, because loneliness is the feeling of having no one to share things with, not a count of how many conversations you have.

Working alone

Working alone for long periods can be harder than a quiet day. With no colleagues to talk to, an individual has nobody to share a problem with or to notice that they are struggling, which can lead to isolation and depression, a lasting low mood that makes everyday life hard. An apprentice who spends months entering records alone in a spare room, hearing from a manager only by weekly email, may stop feeling part of a team.

Remote working can also increase stress and anxiety for some people. Someone who joins a workplace while the rest of the team works remotely never picks up the team's unwritten rules: who to ask about what, and when to speak up. That uncertainty can build into stress, and over time this can contribute to depression.