Social Media Friendships

We have friends out of necessity. That is to say, when we approach an awkward situation, most people will try to find some form of companionship. Most people, at some point, were exposed to the idea that since the start of civilization humans have lived in groups -  and it’s true. Therefore humans must have friends, right? But what are friends?  

This question, within the context of online schooling, gets a different approach than the theoretical ‘what defines a bond’ one: are online friendships true friendships, and can having them as the main support system for a person be enough? 

The biggest issue perhaps with online friendships, is that there is nothing forcing them together. That is, going back to that awkward situation, we do not ‘need’ online friends to be there to help us fit in because the friends aren’t there for most of the day. But that is not the only purpose of friends. Friends also serve the purpose of guidance and companionship, and that, can often be offered through calls and text; through social media friendships (that is, friendships maintained through sending reels, calling on WhatsApp, etc.). So, while there is nothing forcing digital friendships between people to be maintained, they are real to the sense that they serve the purpose of friends. 

Further, social media friendships are at the danger of walking away. Due to the reliance on support through friendships, when people fight, they will often attempt to make up and resolve the conflict because of the limited choices for friends given the physical limitations. However, with online friendships, ghosting and walking  away to talk to others is much easier, and perhaps the biggest issue with forming true connections online. To that extent, digital friends can be helpful for support, but harder to open up to.

There is also a positive to that. As walking away is much easier, maintaining boundaries is too. While it is easier for people to hide behind screens and carefully craft sentences, it also means that  it is easier to state when someone has hurt you, knowing you can walk away from them for a while without much changing. This means that in this aspect, social media friendships can also be considered healthier. 

To conclude, while social media friendships do not offer physical support, they can fulfil the purpose of guidance and companionship of friendships, while being easier to maintain boundaries in.  

For the online student, this means that while friendships with people over Instagram and other platforms might not be the same as in person, they are not to be regarded as not being a true relationship.