The Changing Definition of Friendship in the Social Media Era

      A controversial topic of social media and how it changes the definition of friendship never fails to interest an audience. The author of the article strongly defends that social media creates an illusion of bonds between people. She does this through the use of pathos and making text to world connections. She begins the article in the first person, which further involves the audience because one can simply place themselves in another's shoes. For instance, " In just two months, I boosted my Linkedin connections from 300 to almost 500. I was proud of winning the numbers game...I was depressed that less than 5% actually responded to me. I think I know most of them, but I actually don't" (Lines 1-4).  In this case, the author elevated the audience's spirit just to crush it. She was proud that she was winning numbers meaning she felt a sense of accomplishment, however, to get a response from less than 5 % goes far to show how unreal the intimacy is. The result of social media's upbringing content and then sudden disappointment evokes a feeling of realism.  The audience experiences a sense of reality and makes one see that social media creates bogus connections. For this reason, I rather not be involved in any social medias. I agree with the author that it creates a fake image of closeness and that social media is just another mean of communication with others.  
      The author expands on the idea of what is means to be a friend and making friends. By making text to world connections, the audience can relate to the article with a better level of understanding. For example, " Now let's get back to the work of social media... Social media platforms have provided tons of personal information- both ongoing and historical " (Lines 20-22). One of the strongest connection with a friend is sharing information. Social media can give insights about one’s life and can easily take away the foundation required to build a long lasting friendship. I understand the author's stand, a five-minute search on Facebook can tell more of a story than a close friend. In comparison to the search, it could've taken the close friend longer. In addition, building friendships takes time. Perhaps, people share updates to make themselves feel close, but that doesn't mean they are. Personally, I would never let myself open up to strangers. I believe they won't have an understanding of your situation and they won't care. Overall, social media has affected the way people interact with one another, but it will not adjust the rooted process of making friends.