Human beings have always been social creatures. Friendships and relationship building has always been very important to us and life is always lonesome for those with little or no friends.
As the world evolves so have friendship as we know it. We live in an era where everything is a click or touch away. Our social ventures are played on the tube daily and for most of us our very “best” friends live just a click away. Welcome to Web 2.0, which has open many avenues or medium; emails, instant messaging, social networking etc. which fosters “friendships”.http://www.thefriendshipblog.com/blog/evolution-friendship-digital-age
But friendship as we know it is not the same. Social etiquettes for face-to-face relationships do not necessary apply to digital or online friendships. Making and maintaining friends has always taken some efforts on both sides. Unlike the digital world where friendships can be established in shorter periods of time, real world friends take a long period of time to cultivate and maintain. In the virtual world commitment to the relationship is not warranted -with the same “click” you used to get those friends you can click them off your list- un-friend them and they can also click you off their list. http://www.allanbesselink.com/rhubarb/407-friendship-new-meaning-in-the-digital-age
However, friendship in the digital world is not all that negative. Web 2.0 has expanded the scope of friendship for many people. Lots of these friends may not be close, but they are certainly rich sources of valuable information. There are many people who have made meaningful personal relationships online. People are connecting with others who have the same interests. For those who need a constant entourage of friends, social media is the perfect vehicle in obtaining that. To some, being able to get in touch on a daily basis without the added headache of planning events, getting all geared up or just the fear of being vulnerable to others, online friends are the best.
Personally, I am not too fond of online friendship. Being of the old school. I enjoy seeing and talking to my friends face-to face. My online connections are only to those “buddies” that I can’t see on day to day bases. I must admit though, I am a bit wary of online friendships. How can you tell if the person on the other side of the tube is who he/she says they are? Like Mark Vernon alluded on his blog – it is an issue of trust.http://www.markvernon.com/friendshiponline/dotclear/index.php?post/2007/09/27/725-tonight-friendship-in-the-digital-age-ica
As the world evolves so have friendship as we know it. We live in an era where everything is a click or touch away. Our social ventures are played on the tube daily and for most of us our very “best” friends live just a click away. Welcome to Web 2.0, which has open many avenues or medium; emails, instant messaging, social networking etc. which fosters “friendships”.http://www.thefriendshipblog.com/blog/evolution-friendship-digital-age
But friendship as we know it is not the same. Social etiquettes for face-to-face relationships do not necessary apply to digital or online friendships. Making and maintaining friends has always taken some efforts on both sides. Unlike the digital world where friendships can be established in shorter periods of time, real world friends take a long period of time to cultivate and maintain. In the virtual world commitment to the relationship is not warranted -with the same “click” you used to get those friends you can click them off your list- un-friend them and they can also click you off their list. http://www.allanbesselink.com/rhubarb/407-friendship-new-meaning-in-the-digital-age
However, friendship in the digital world is not all that negative. Web 2.0 has expanded the scope of friendship for many people. Lots of these friends may not be close, but they are certainly rich sources of valuable information. There are many people who have made meaningful personal relationships online. People are connecting with others who have the same interests. For those who need a constant entourage of friends, social media is the perfect vehicle in obtaining that. To some, being able to get in touch on a daily basis without the added headache of planning events, getting all geared up or just the fear of being vulnerable to others, online friends are the best.
Personally, I am not too fond of online friendship. Being of the old school. I enjoy seeing and talking to my friends face-to face. My online connections are only to those “buddies” that I can’t see on day to day bases. I must admit though, I am a bit wary of online friendships. How can you tell if the person on the other side of the tube is who he/she says they are? Like Mark Vernon alluded on his blog – it is an issue of trust.http://www.markvernon.com/friendshiponline/dotclear/index.php?post/2007/09/27/725-tonight-friendship-in-the-digital-age-ica
Yolanda, I agree with you that friendship in the digital world is not all that negative. Web 2.0 has really helped with effective interactions among friends. It is now easy and cheaper to connect with old friends. Personally, social networking site like facebook has helped me connect with friends I have not seen for the past 10-15years. I do not accept or add anybody as a friend. Also there should not be too much information put on the web. Yul, you may enjoy seeing and talking to friends face to face but sometimes too there may be some friends you cannot see face to face but the connection is still great through the internet. http://www.yourteenager.co.uk/teens-online-friends.html
ReplyDeleteHey Yolanda,
ReplyDeleteI checked out your Friendship blog link and am quoting a couple of lines I found insightful:
"Some of my female friendships are offline; some are online. Those that overlap seem to offer the best opportunities for communication and mutual caring."