Identifying the Types of Loneliness and Sorting Them Out With Talkliv

Notice that this article is not professional advice and shouldn't be used to treat any conditions.

If there was a competition, social media would be winning the communication game by a mile. The innovation has kept several people connected and interacting over the years. Distance no longer seems to be an issue and getting messages across has never been easier. Talkliv itself stands as one of the many communication platforms proving the point of social media’s dominance.

You might be wondering why we are talking so much about social media in an article about loneliness. Well, it’s because social media can do a lot to one’s loneliness, and you may find out more as you unravel the contents of this article.

Loneliness, As We Know It Today

Loneliness has been a pretty big deal in recent times. This feeling that is usually taken for granted can also be a health risk if condoned longer than usual. Different people get lonely from time to time, it’s normal in the present world we are in where people are usually so busy.

As normal as it feels, it actually isn’t meant to be normalized in any way. Loneliness isn’t the same as solitude, for the latter it is more of a choice of being alone. Solitude is often initiated to help with thinking, rest, or any other solemn intention.

So, what is loneliness? After our research, we at Talkliv believe that loneliness is a feeling of unwanted or perceived isolation when alone or among people. This means that, for loneliness, it doesn’t really matter if people are there or not, emotionally you just feel like your social needs aren’t met. It feels differently for different people and also has different thresholds as well. The surprising thing, in our present time, is that as much as communication tools like Talkliv are in abundance, loneliness is still on the rise. This makes it a worthy topic of discussion and is why we need to let you know how to work on it.

Types of Loneliness

Some people think loneliness is a simple term. But a simple term would not have different types being studied constantly by researchers. Talkliv may also be used by people who feel lonely, the social media platform works to connect individuals and make sure they find the chat buddies.

Right far back as 1973 the types of loneliness had been identified by Robert Wess. He identified 2 types of loneliness:

Social loneliness

Emotional loneliness

As time passed, we added one extra type that has come up over the years:

Situational/Existential loneliness

Each of these 3 types of loneliness is well-known and widely discussed by the public. We are here to give you the interesting points on each.

1. Social Loneliness

This is the type of loneliness that usually comes to the mind of a layman when anyone says they're lonely. It contains the typical loneliness description and this is because it covers a general interaction with individuals. Social loneliness involves the feeling that you do not have a network of people to interact with.

This type of loneliness happens when you feel like you do not belong anywhere or have any community you identify with. This loneliness is commonly seen among high school kids who feel they don’t fit in or have a social circle.

Talkliv operates a community-type structure, interconnecting all its users and making them feel like a part of a system. By having an account there, you trump the idea that you have no social circle. You have people who you can contact at any time and have genuine conversations to last a lifetime. Asides from Talkliv, getting yourself into various associations, workplaces, or groups can also give you a stance in a community, thus reducing loneliness.

2. Emotional Loneliness

Emotional loneliness involves the absence of close attachments. It has to do with not having a significant other, a close friend with which you have tight connections. Emotional loneliness is usually mistaken to only involve romantic relationships but that is not the case. People who do not have deep connections also feel this type of loneliness.

This is a tricky type of loneliness because the person could be a part of a social clique or community. They could have people around them a lot of times and have lots of engagements, however, they do not have people who they can share everything with. You know how you could have a bunch of friends, but when things go sideways, there are only a few of them you would call. Not having who to call is a sign of emotional loneliness.

Fortunately, you may solve this type of loneliness by being online on Talkliv. The platform promotes genuine communication, this is the type of communication where there is active listening and deep conversations with people who actually care. After a few new connections on Talkliv, you can have your social circle, as well as people you can trust.

3. Situational Loneliness

Situational loneliness can also be referred to as existential loneliness. This occurs when solitude starts being excessive. It is usually involuntary but has the negative effects of loneliness. This can be seen in individuals who find themselves in a new location: like a new country, state, or workplace. It can be due to work, school, or other factors. What really matters is that it can take some time to adjust.

During the time of adjustment, you may find it difficult to interact as you probably could not know anyone, or not even speak the common language at that place. This is a type of loneliness that can easily be managed by online communication.

Online communication would not necessarily solve the situation but you can stick to chatting with your Talkliv buddies and keep in touch while adapting to the new life. This makes your chats interesting as you could discuss your new location and the varying cultures that you come across.

Conclusion

Loneliness is a thing that we should try to avoid at all costs. It could seem peaceful at first but could have many negative effects. There are many online suggestions about what to do when you feel lonely that could help you through it. Signing up on fun communication platforms could help with that. Platforms like Talkliv are more advised due to their communal structure and intentional method of getting their users to connect.