Key To Real Friends

New dynamics of friendship in an eve-changing world.

- Anshika Sharma

Complaints about friendship degradation have become a staple of our conversation in digital era. The meaning and the way we think of friendship have changed in recent years.

In the world, as we know it today, relationships are different. We live online most of the time now. So, social media is the new coffee shop to meet and make new friends.

On the contrary, physical restaurants are full of people staring at their phones instead of talking. That selfie culture has made us addicts who care more about our social media than being present with each other.

Today's friendships are somehow more conditional than they were in the past, as we organise ourselves into echo chambers of like-minded individuals online and reject differing views.

Even the word friend has been replaced by social media. A whole new meaning in which being friends with someone means clicking Accept on their friend request.

It's not bad at all. Social media has benefited many friendships. Not only does it allow people to stay in touch with each other who have not been in touch traditionally but it has also enhanced personal relationships.

The digital age comes with its consequences.

Social media has, in some ways, trivialised the idea of friendship and made it synonymous with peer or acquaintance.

Email, social networking sites, and communication apps allow friends to share the content of mutual interest such as memes and videos and thus keep the conversation going for longer than they can have.

You can chat and have a conversation on 24x7 basis; regardless of physical distance between you and your mate. This availability of 24x7 makes friendship less valuable for today's generation.