The first Sunday of August month is celebrated as the International Day of Friendship. The United Nations officially recognises it as a commemoration of promoting and defending a shared spirit of human solidarity.
For individuals, the day is more personal as people cherish their friendships and recall besties long lost in this fast-paced world. However, in the age of technology, social media has turned into a facilitator to foster friendships without any barriers of location, time and connectivity.
According to a survey by Pew Research Centre, 94% of surveyed teens spend time with friends on social media. As per the findings, 83% of teens say that social media makes them more aware about what is happening in their friends’ lives, while 70% say that social media helps them connect with their friends’ feelings in a better way. The research also states that people are more likely to receive support from virtual friends as 68% teens reported getting help through social media during challenging times.
Gone are the times when youngsters applied with the International Youth Service to make pen pals from across the globe and start conversation with an unknown person sitting in some remote corner of the world. The exchange of letters saw a slow but steady levelling up of relationships – from strangers to acquaintances and finally friends. Similarly, friendship clubs were another good option to meet new people, plan activities and outings.
With changing times, social media has proved to be a better replacement for pen pals and friendship clubs as it serves the same purpose efficiently in a shorter time. With the launch of Facebook, people got a pleasantly surprising option of becoming friends with anyone by sending a friend request. Today, sending a 'follow' request is all that people need to do for making friends. Along with facilitating communication, social media simultaneously helps boost creativity, networking and learning, while letting meaningful friendships blossom.
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Close friends are expected to be connected across all the virtual platforms. Interestingly, the application where two people become friends says a lot about their bonding. For example, folks connected on Meta or X are usually seen as just another friend, while those linked via Instagram or WhatsApp can be safely dubbed besties
Survey by Pew Research Centre Highlights
94% Teens spend time with friends on social media
83% Say social media makes them more aware about friends’ lives
70% Say social media helps them connect with friends’ feelings in better way
68% Say virtual friends were up for help during tough times
