We also have friends outside of the social media world that we've known for years. Take for instance the person I know outside of anyone in my family the longest in my life. We met "traditionally" and then when social media became prevalent, we had another method of keeping in touch.
But what I've discovered over the years of this way of life is that the definition of friendship is perhaps a little broader than what we originally thought. Indeed, the landscape may be changing as well.
So the literal Merriam-Webster definition of "Friend" is:
"a : one attached to another by affection or esteem b : acquaintance."
By sorts, the definition of a "Friendship" is:
"1: the state of being friends; 2: the quality or state of being friendly."
A few weeks ago, the friend I've known for over 30 years "deactivated" her Facebook account. People do that to much fanfare usually, but sometimes those looking to get in touch with these persons who deactivate are left in arrears.
"OMG, did they delete me?"
"I'm dying to share this funny joke with them!"
"Is everything okay?"
Yet, with all these modes and channels of communications, we usually miss these announcements and take them very personally if we don't know what's going on.
In some ways, the social media stuff has added a layer of friendship that I'm very grateful for. I met my husband through them, and I can't say for sure that we would have met otherwise. I just have no other way to know. I know someone who reconnected with someone they graduated high school, and they are now dating! (they weren't very good friends otherwise). You just never know.
Yet, at the same this has substituted the idea of calling someone to see what's going on or trying to find out what else is making them tick. Too often, we substitute this for just writing on someone's wall and communicating via "Inbox."
We blame the dumbing down of our culture on reality TV, and 24-hour news cycles have almost given us too MUCH information, exposing biases and not really giving us slanted information to tell us how to think. Have friendships become more disposable as a result of social media?
That same friend I referred to that I've known forever...she has some stories about some people who got upset about a miscommunication on Facebook and never spoke again. Friendships that were solid outside of this layer that became almost narcissistic to a degree. "OMG ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT ME?"
On the other hand, people who didn't know each other outside of these channels, met and otherwise found they didn't have much in common...does that make their friendship less valuable or valid, for that matter?
The answer on one hand, is almost, who gives a shit? A friend is a friend is a friend, right? On the other hand, there are plenty of people who are your "online friends" in name only, and have no intentions of ever meeting you outside of the safe cyberworld where committal is little. (See, I just made that up, catchy isn't it???).
In the meantime, I still find one item prevalent in these relationships. That people will still one another for granted, the same nosy people will dig for the information they want, there will be the obsessive people, the people who care very little or those who will find a way to keep in touch with you, even when you are taking a "Facebook break."
Friendships may have gotten another level, but the complexities behind them are still in our faces whether we like it not. They take work and understanding and not necessarily in that order.
