Is social media to blame for troubled friendships?
I have this theory deep down that we started as friends before social media became popular or even existed. We had face to face conversations or even on the phone. My question is why is it a big deal to be friends on social media?
If I "unfriend" you, is that one of the 7 deadly sins? No.
@sewest82
Regarding your question, I think it's more of personal preference by an individual. That some people "care" about social media than others. Whether it may be "having more friends" or "having an additional follower on Instagram".
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Generally, I think social media depicts one side of everything in life.
What do I mean by that?
It means that people only show you the things they want you to see. So it seems like they are living the good life with no flaws and imperfection. But in reality, they are just showing you the good part of their lives, not the bad parts. I mean, normally people wouldn't want to show the bad parts of their life to people that they know. Right?
For ex. Instagram. You see tons of people posting about their daily lives. From eating their "superb looking meal with filters" to "having a great day out somewhere", you see that they are doing something with their lives.
This matters because people start to COMPARE. People start to compare only the good things that they see to their own life which is imperfect by default. And therefore, many people because of social media are more prone to depression for this reason. Kids that live in the age of technology do not know what it was like to not have a computer/internet/social media/cell phone.
They are the ones who tend to value these online friendships (as one may call it) more because it's something that they are already pre-existent.
And this can result in what you said, a troubled friendship due to envy, jealousy, and all other factors.
@sewest82
Honestly, I do not even notice if someone unfriends me on social media. The reason I know this is that another friend will comment on the post that they had made. I wonder for a moment why, but hey that is there choice.. ;)
I do use social media as a means of communicating but it does not replace real friendships. Sitting together over coffee it is just needed. I also have people that have added me on facebook and such, and we have lively conversations through the comments on some posts, but when I run into them in the grocery store they do not acknowledge my presence.. It is just a new part of life..
