Does Facebook make us lonely by stoking the embers of our narcissistic tendencies and forcing us to engage in a 24/7 cycle of self-presentation? Well, opinions differ, but the important thing is, at least it gives us an opportunity to yammer about Facebook some more.
Maybe the clichés about the cold, impersonal, alienating nature of technology are true. Or maybe, as the philosophical minstrels Judas Priest sang, it’s just the human condition to never be satisfied with what we have. Maybe you’re lonely because you don’t know yourself well enough to find truly complementary people to form close friendships with. Maybe it’s because you have unrealistic expectations about what role other people can and should play in your life. Or maybe you’re like so many other people whose lives are dominated by work to such an extent that even if you had the time to cultivate a group of meaningful relationships, you wouldn’t have the slightest clue how to go about it.