We live in a time where we are able to make friends without even having to see each other in person. Internet bridges people from across the world, connecting individuals with common interests and then starting a friendship or a bond that might be built virtually.

During our second lectorial of the semester, a topic was raised. Are the friends we meet through social media platforms considered friends, like the ones we see on our day to day basis? Has social media break down walls between us or has it fortified and confined us into work spaces and our bedrooms?

In my opinion, it just boils down to how the end user deals with it. There is no hard and fast rule on making friends. From our early childhood when we were sent to kindergarten, we have developed social skills to interact with one another and establish friendship organically. However, social media websites such as Facebook, or Instagram can be used as tools to aid making friends and allow maintain contact in a very convenient way. Having said that, it also allows people to meet new individuals that might share a common interest or a certain liking. Some people might request to be friends with others as they realise they have similar interests and would like to get to know one another from there. But are those friends considered “real”? I would say, if they started meeting up to interact with one another face to face in a non-virtual environment, then sure. That friendship might be more then just Facebook buddies, as they have gone beyond the restrictions and boundaries of social media and going back to the conventional way of meeting up over a cup of coffee to converse and get to know one another. Facebook enables that, but again, it leads back to how the end user chooses how they want to make friends and what they consider as “real” or “virtual” friends.

Real or not, we all need friends at certain point in our lives to talk about certain issues or share an experience or just a listening ear. We can’t go by a day without socialising or interacting with someone, be it in person or through a social network. Therefore, as the saying goes, “You can never have too many friends”. And yes, I’d vouch for that.