Internet, a refuge for people with social phobia

There are people who find it more convenient to work or study at home without leaving their comfort zone. It is possible that thanks to the restrictions due to the covid-19 pandemic, they are used to establishing their personal relationships through screens.

Some of these people may have difficulty communicating face to face. Social media has made it easier for them to form social relationships effortlessly. For them, the return to normal life was a time of great anxiety and discomfort. Let’s see who is affected and why this is happening.

Increased social anxiety

People with social anxiety experience intense fear of being exposed to a wide variety of social situations. The reason is that they are afraid of being judged or judged negatively. If they find themselves face to face in social situations, they think they are the center of attention, when in fact they want to remain unnoticed. They are afraid of not knowing how to behave, that people will notice them or their appearance.

To cope with their fears, they communicate little, rarely make eye contact, and avoid talking about themselves. When they interact face to face, they experience many physiological symptoms such as sweating, facial flushing, trembling. All this causes them great emotional discomfort and dissatisfaction with their lives. Therefore, they avoid attending social events. Lack of contact means they have fewer friends and are less likely to have a partner or sexual relationship.

People with social phobia do not refuse social contacts, no matter how hard it is for them. This is the main reason why the Internet is becoming a more convenient and secure means of communication for them.

Face-to-face or online communication?

How does in-person and online communication affect people with social phobia? To answer these questions, numerous studies have been conducted, mostly with adolescents and university students. So far, some important aspects have been identified. Comfort in use and age are some of them.

Communication via the Internet allows people with social phobia to have and maintain anonymous relationships in a convenient way. This gives them a greater sense of security and keeps them from worrying about their appearance. In addition, they may hide their fear of manifesting physiological symptoms of anxiety (such as trembling or flushing).

Age is another important aspect to consider in order to understand the impact of digital communication. The use of this mode of communication varies between different generations as they have different levels of technical background and digital acceptance.

Generation baby boomer has great difficulty in adapting to new technologies and, therefore, retains a greater interest in live communication. Fear isolates them from society and causes a feeling of loneliness and emotional discomfort. However, when they interact over the Internet, they do so in a more secure and spontaneous way.

Youth and social relations face to face

millennials o Generation Y, known as digital natives, and Generation Z, the generation of social media and digital communications, have grown up doing a lot of activities connected to others via the internet.

In these groups, the lack of personal social contact may be habitual behavior. That is why it is much more difficult to determine whether it is the result of social anxiety or even other pathologies. Many of them admit that their relationship only happens through social media. This encourages them to lose opportunities to participate in many activities that only take place face to face.

In addition to comfort and age, it is necessary to take into account the time spent in networks. People with social phobia spend about the same amount of time online as people without social phobia. They feel they can better regulate the frequency and duration of their social interactions when they communicate over the Internet. They interact when they want, with whom they want, and for as long as they want. This allows them to build their social relationships gradually and under more controlled conditions.

Thus, when studying why young people use the Internet in their social contacts, interesting conclusions are drawn. They indicate that they feel more comfortable, less depressed, can express themselves more freely, and worry less about what others think of them.

The usefulness of digital communications

According to the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the most appropriate way to help people with social phobia is cognitive behavioral therapy. With the help of a professional psychologist, patients are encouraged to gradually expose themselves to situations they fear.

The internet can help those who suffer from social anxiety, but just like in personal relationships, the only way to get to know each other and expand your social circle is to interact and share experiences.

Carmina Saldanha Garcia, Honorary Professor of Clinical Psychology and Psychological Intervention, University of Barcelona

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original.

We recommend you METADATA, an RPP tech podcast. News, analytics, reviews, recommendations and everything you need to know about the tech world. To hear better, #StayHome.