This document examines the definition and nature of friendship in the digital age. It discusses how adolescents are forming more friendships online through social media and outlines some of the key findings from research on online friendship. While online friendships allow for greater connectivity, they also raise questions about what constitutes a real friendship and how truthfulness and identity are presented virtually. The boundaries between online acquaintances and true friendships require further consideration.

1. Image
via
Flickr:
Amanda
Venner
h4ps://flic.kr/p/8wwpTx
What is a
friend?

2. Image
via
Flickr:
wolfgangfoto
h4ps://flic.kr/p/4DYHtX
friend:
(noun) a
person whom
one knows
and with
whom one has
a bond of
mutual
affection,
typically
exclusive of
sexual or
family
relations. [1]

3. Image
via
Flickr:
Michael
Simmons
h4ps://flic.kr/p/NPC3h
FRIEND:
(verb) add
(someone) to
a list of
contacts
associated
with a social
networking
website. [1]

4. Image
via
Flickr:
Garry
Knight
h4ps://flic.kr/p/bER864
“As
individuals
have
needs
for
inUmacy
and
companionship,
the
use
of
the
Internet
for
communicaUon
purposes
provides
a
new
venue
to
meet
others
and
create
close
relaUonships.”
[3]

5. Image
via
Flickr:
Chris
Dlugosz
h4ps://flic.kr/p/4YCwnW
RESEARCH HAS FOUND THAT:
63.3 % OF ADOLESCENT FRIENDSHIPS BEGIN IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
24.1 % OF ADOLESCENT FRIENDSHIPS BEGIN AT SCHOOL
12.6 % OF ADOLESCENT FRIENDSHIPS BEGIN ONLINE [3]

6. Image
via
Flickr:
Asha
ten
Broeke
h4ps://flic.kr/p/7DVVRT
People who use the internet to begin friendships typically befriend
those who resemble themselves (similar lifestyles, likes, dislikes,
etc.) [2]

7. Image
via
Flickr:
Kerry
Sanders
h4ps://flic.kr/p/obBTE
BUT…
We
must
sUll
consider
how
that
compares
to
making
friends
in
the
offline
world.
When
friends
are
made
at
school,
in
the
neighbourhood,
or
recreaUonal
acUviUes,
do
we
not
make
those
friends
based
on
similar
interests?

8. Image
via
Flickr:
Joel
Cooper
h4ps://flic.kr/p/9tL5J
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS: on the Internet, you
get to decide who you are, what your interests
are, and whether you are truthful to reality.

9. Image
via
Flickr:
Wendell
h4ps://flic.kr/p/6LaB7f
“Frequent
Internet
use
is
more
likely
to
occur
among
individuals
suffering
from
social
anxiety,
low
self-­‐
esteem,
and
lack
of
sociability.”
[3]

10. Image
via
Flickr:
jaci
Lopes
dos
Santos
h4ps://flic.kr/p/84ATAp
The best part
about friendship
online is that, if
you want to, you
can end a
conversation, end
emotion, end the
problem, end the
relationship all at
the click of a
button!!

11. Image
via
Flickr:
Caro
Wallis
h4ps://flic.kr/p/7stNaj
Adolescents who engage in higher levels of
conflict with their parents are also more likely
to form friendships online. [3]

12. Image
via
Flickr:
Marco
h4ps://flic.kr/p/dcH7rX
The internet has become a safe place for
adolescents to speak their minds, express
themselves, and vent frustrations with not
only their current friends but potential and
new friends.

13. Image
via
Flickr:
Jean-­‐Pierre
Dalbera
h4ps://flic.kr/p/5aZhk8
With internet users so young, this practice
has become ingrained within our society.

14. Image
via
Flickr:
Royce
Bair
h4ps://flic.kr/p/7icRw2
These
users
are
able
to
access
people
and
“friends”
across
the
world,
of
different
ages,
and
without
the
supervision
of
parental
figures.

15. Image
via
Flickr:
epSos
.de
h4ps://flic.kr/p/8vVqqW
If you CAN access friends all around
the world, why would you not?

16. Image
via
Flickr:
Renato
Ganoza
h4ps://flic.kr/p/7QYtpH
“Not only are
adolescents
making new
friends in the
Internet, but
also these
friends are
changing the
extent of
similarity in
gender and
age of their
social
networks.” [3]

17. Image
via
Flickr:
Stefan
Baudy
h4ps://flic.kr/p/
wTgzo
So
now
we
must
ask
ourselves:
WHAT
DOES
IT
MEAN
TO
BE
SOMEBODY’S
FRIEND?

18. Image
via
Flickr:
Marco
Pakoeningrat
h4ps://flic.kr/
p/4DmkbS
Ridiculously large numbers of online friends,
as seen on major social media sites or online
social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter,
and Instagram make us question the
relevance of the term “friendship”. [4]
It
is
criUcal
to
disUnguish
between
the
noun
and
the
verb.

19. “Online friendship is an
umbrella name for real
friendship and various
degrees of
acquaintanceship… only
25% of contacts are
recognized as real
friends.” [4]

20. SO, how did you meet your friends?!
SOURCES:!
[1]
"Friend."
Dic$onary.com.
N.p.,
2014.
Web.
22
May
2014.
<h4p://
dicUonary.reference.com/browse/friend?s=t>.
[2]
Amichai-­‐Hamburger,
Yair,
Mila
Kingsbury,
and
Barry
H.
Schneider.
"Friendship:
An
Old
Concept
with
a
New
Meaning?"
Computers
in
Human
Behavior
29.2013
(2012):
33-­‐39.
26
Aug.
2012.
Web.
23
May
2014.
[3]
Mesch,
Gustavo
S.,
and
Ilan
Talmud.
"Online
Friendship
FormaUon,
CommunicaUon
Channels,
and
Social
Closeness."
Interna$onal
Journal
of
Internet
Science
1.1
(2006):
29-­‐44.
Web.
23
May
2014.
[4]
Zinoviev,
Dmitry,
and
Vy
Duong.
"Toward
Understanding
Friendship
in
Online
Social
Networks."
Interna$onal
Journal
of
Technology,
Knowledge,
and
Society
(2009):
n.
pag.
Web.
23
May
2014.
Image
via
Flickr:
Paulo
Otavio
h4ps://flic.kr/p/7qBgkT