“With the proliferation of social networking sites and the aggregation and documentation of comprehensive “social networks,” future research should address how the contemporary definition of “friend” is changing.”
Stefanone, Lackaff & Rosen
Social networking sites allow us to friend anyone and anytime with the technological advancements of smart phones. I know I’ve asked the question, “Are you on Facebook?” During discussions with my friends, I’ve heard the statement, “it’s not official until it’s on Facebook,” in reference to new friendships or new relationships. These comments were made jokingly but it is important to recognize how social media influences they ways in which we define relationships.
The above quote clearly recognizes this shift in how we define our friendships. Do we define our friendships by the friends I interact with face to face or my online friends? Some video game research shows that players feel that their friendships built online have the same strength as face to face friendships.
Other research shows that parasocial relationships provide only supplementary relationships and do not replace primary relationships. Maybe the changing definition of friendship is occurring only on a case by case basis right now. As technology continues to develop how much will friendship change?
Some people prefer texting to actually talking to someone over the phone. Others prefer email than a phone call. There are so many mediums to choose from that I wonder if phone conversations will end altogether.
The article where I found the quote also noted the idea of “friend promiscuity” which means that someone will “friend” anyone on social media sites just to increase his/her number of “friends.” Social media websites are creating new conditions. There is now a disorder called social media hoarding, which involves a user spending an obscene amount of time on social media websites and time spent away causes discomfort for the user.
What other conditions may develop from social media? Some of the changes social media brings are useful and beneficial. However, I am concerned about the depths the negative components of social media bring to users.