Contained? What does isolation really mean to people

Isolated – “cause a (person or place) to be or remain alone or apart from others”.

So what does it mean to be kept away from others and what effect can this have on people?  I know for most people, modern technology gives us access to visual communication with others, but what about those who don’t have this kind of technology?   Most older people are given phones by their children to keep in touch, but I think that it is the face to face contact that human beings miss the most.  

If you have seen the movie Passengers the male actor is almost driven to despair by being the only person who is accidentally awakened en-route to another planet which will take another 90 years to complete the journey.  He spends his time talking to another crew member who is in an induced coma just to have the human face to face contact before he finally takes drastic action to have actual contact and communication with this person.  

In the movie Castaway, the character of Tom Hanks makes a head with a face out of a volleyball to endure being stranded on a desolate island.  The addition of the head in his life makes the isolation that bit more bearable for him.

Although none of us are in deep space or on a deserted island, our lives have changed from being in the middle of a busy capital city and being with fellow students, work colleagues, friends and family, to being mostly either alone or within our own households.  This can take some getting used to.

I decided to make some human substitutes for anyone that was feeling lonely as they walked past my house.  Just two scarecrows sitting in a chair, at a safe distance from others, taking in the sunshine.  They did cause a few people to stop and have a look.