The Meaning of “Friendship”…

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Created by Joanna Holland

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According to the World English Dictionary ‘friendship’ is defined as:

“a person known well to another and regarded with liking, affection, and loyalty.”

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The average person is estimated to have 2-5 close friends in which they can confide in, as well as up to 50 people which one can know fairly well and interact with on a semi-regular basis.

But, the average facebook user has 130 confirmed “friends”...

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The definition of friendly, which originated from the

word friend is:

“comforting, warm, kind and pleasant. On good or affectionate terms”

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Are you “friendly” with all of your “friends” on facebook?

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How has the definition of friendship changed with the integration of social media into our everyday lives? What kind of relationships do people have with their hundreds of facebook “friends”?

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Social media allows you to stay in contact with friends and family much more easily than ever before.

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But just because these contacts are easier to keep, doesn’t mean they are sincere.

Studies have actually shown that college students today are 40% less empathetic then they were in 1979.

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Imagine living in a world without empathy.

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Caring for others is what makes us human.

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We need to take the time to look at who we are opening up our lives to online. Make sure these people are truly your friends.

People you actually care about.

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Blogger, Hal Niedzviecki decided to invite all of his 700 facebook friends out to reconnect at a bar.

On the night of the event, he showered, shaved and was excited for the night ahead.

But to his dismay…

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ONE person showed up.

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“Friending” those who you barely know can pose many serious dangers.

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Many users accept friend requests from people whose profiles they deem “friend-worthy” without even knowing them.

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Some facebook users have malicious intents.

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Mark Dice, author of a book that outlines the dangers of facebook, shares a lot of shocking information about some of these intentions.

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He talks about many cases of burglars who use information people post on facebook about their travel plans to gain knowledge about when their houses will be empty, just waiting for an easy break in.

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The more frightening part is that most of the time, these criminals are facebook “friends” with the victims which allows them access to all the personal information they need.

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Some police departments and potential future employers create false facebook accounts to look at your online activity.

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Mark Dice also created Defriend Day, occuring on whichever day you are reading this.

A day to go through your list of facebook “friends” and get rid of anyone who has no good reason to be there. Only those you know and trust should have access to your personal information.

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Technology and the use of social media is an unavoidable part of our lives and if we use it wisely and safely it can be a great benefit to our lives.

Know who your REAL friends are.

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