Social bonding also depends on individuals and their willingness to open up. If one is very sociable, s/he may enjoy being with a variety of people. Otherwise, no matter how conducive the environment is, the individual may not interact with others easily.
Of course, it is not just people’s willingness to open up. The place of dwelling matters too. For instance, in smaller towns, people find time to greet their neighbours and be part of their lives. The scenario is different in metropolitan cities. It is not that people do not want to interact with each other. It is just that they do not have time for that kind of luxury. Srividya Kumar, a techie, says, “I work night shifts. By the time I am back home, I am exhausted and all I want to do is rest. There is hardly any time to interact with my neighbours.”
Moreover, people work in different time zones these days. They might even work remotely or from home. Naturally, this reduces their interaction with others. Though the Internet has brought us closer, perhaps it does not satiate our need for real human interaction. After all, the warmth of a hug, the assurance of a nod, and the affirmation of a handshake are things text messages and emojis cannot replace.
In one of his talks, American TV personality Fred Rogers is known to have said: “Nothing will ever take the place of one person actually being with another person. Let’s not get so fascinated by what technology can do that we forget what it can’t do. A computer can help you learn to spell H-U-G, but it can never know the risks or the joy of actually giving or receiving one.”
Co-founder of Bangalore-based Foonza Media Biju Ebenezer seconds this thought. He believes that there is only a sense of loss and emptiness when we associate technology with our interactions. Both are happy in their own existence. The moment we try to relate the two is when the problem starts, he notes.
Whatever the nature of our living, we can be certain about one thing: Life can be unimaginably hard without human interactions. After all, even an atom needs to bond with another atom in order to form a compound. Likewise, we humans bond with each other for a greater happiness that we cannot experience alone.