Are Social Network Friends Your Real Friends?

Are these terms really so different? How can we tell that?

Hundreds of friends on Facebook, a few more on Twitter, thousands of followers on Instagram and dozens of “likes” every day. Are you sure you live an active social life? The recent study has proven that among all social network friends you have, only a few of them are “real”. But what is real? How do we differentiate real and false friends? And why do we need to do it? Let’s find it out in this article! More information is here crazyessay.com/sociology-papers.

Define Your “Real”, We Say

What make a real friend truly “real”? Is it his or her footsteps in your house, broken vase after a huge party, long-night chatting on the phone or something else? Do we really have to see a person so to claim him or her as our friend? As we all know, social network friends are basically our friends we meet in real life and those whom we have never met (yet) but still chat with them per Skype, Facebook Messenger, phone and other utilities. Thus, people often claim that this “Internet way of talking” is not real. Is it also not real when talking with a friend who lives around the block?

Take a look at your Facebook friends. If they are below 500 people, you most likely know they all from different phases of your life like primary school, secondary education and high school, you surely have some close and not very relatives, friends of friends and people from different going out periods. Also, there is a group of those you have never seen in your life and, either you keep them for quantity, or you chat them a few times in a week and due to some circumstances, you just cannot meet them in real. “Most likely you collect them for its whole sense of feeling worthy, avoiding loneliness” – haters say.

They also give a list of other reasons why social network is not a place for making friends.

1. True friends are physically “real”. You know that you can call them and in a few minutes, both of you will go shopping or sit in a cafe, discussing the latest gossips and news. They can compliment on your new haircut and notice a necklace as
2. They feel closer to you as they are people who you meet to have a common activity. By the way, they can join you in your area of interest like running, visiting an exhibition or watching a TV together.
3. They can always give you a piece of advice on any issue as they know you the best. All your life drama is already known to them so who if not them will advise you the best?
4. Virtual communication is just an illusion. Nothing will substitute a real-life talk, they say.

However, even though the web is full of angry claims about the harmfulness of having friends in social network, because as they say they are “not real”, we, the youth, would like to give our own point of view on this issue.

1. Social network open opportunities for distance friendship, which was quite hard to have a dozen of years ago. Just imagine having a friend from another corner of the planet! Unreal? We will say – amazingly true! If previously we felt a row of obstacles not to let us cross the border and travel anywhere we want, now it became even easier plus we visit a new country ALREADY having a friend there.
2. It is also communication. No one will dare to say that if you talk to your friends per chat, you are not talking to them at all. Also, with a huge progress in technologies and communication, talking with video and sound does not seem that “unreal” anymore.
3. For those, lacking physical presence of another person – make friends first and then paw them!
4. People usually do not accept those, who they are not friends with such to get the “numbers up”. Previously, yes, it was a matter of fact. But people have grown into young adults and only very desperate individuals or insane wanna-be-celebrities make this step towards a desirable 1000 or 2000 friends or even more!
5. For some people, it has become a status issue as having a lot of friends means being popular. But, let’s take a look at the previous generations. Before the invention of computers and social networks, social status in society was same important, if not more essential. The only point that they did not have Internet to measure their popularity does not mean we have become much more concerned about the public opinion than them. The only reason for that is that nowadays the whole world can monitor your social status in web if they wanted it. But as a research says, nobody cares about no one but him or herself. Maybe it is even for better in this case?
6. We do not think you will stop talking to your real-life friend if they suddenly moved to another country and now you only have access to them per Internet.

So, haters should bear in mind that it is not always possible to meet a person in real life to be able to have dinner, chat or just to hang out. We will not touch upon the etiquette of commenting photos, tagging friends on them and giving “like” – all of them are goaled to measure the level of prosperity of your profile and as a result, your popularity among other friends.

So, where is the right answer? The secret is – there is no correct reply. You do as you want, you combine or you choose only one option. But in no way, you should underestimate the power of friendship – no matter in what form it is.