The tragic deaths of two showbiz celebrities, Ayesha Khan and Humaira Asghar, gone unnoticed for days in one case and months in the other, have exposed the ugly face of our connectivity and sociability in the virtual world. Contrary to John Donne's No Man Is an Island, social media has paradoxically turned man into an island. Our virtual relationships are just a mirage whose pursuit, however, cannot replace our craving for human connection.

Among more than 700 thousand Humaira Asghar's Instagram followers, there must have been her friends, close ones, and relatives. Nobody noticed the deafening silence of a human being so active on the virtual platforms. Our insularity bordering on apathy has rendered us hollow like the stuffed men of TS Eliot. Screen tears drain real concern and care.

It seems the more we are connected to the so-called virtual world, the less we are lassoed to our inner world. Without enjoying the bliss of our inner world, we will exhibit no empathy in the outer world. Albert Camus says, "And never have I felt so deeply at one........

© The Express Tribune