Least Favorite Myth or Stereotype

Least Favorite Myth or Stereotype

Friends Forever Unless Offline

Now that we are in the information age, lots of people are getting hooked up with many networking sites in the Web. They believe that they have real friends there -- but the truth is that these sites distort, if not make us completely forget, one important detail: what does it really mean to be a friend?

Originally, social networking in the Web was meant for meeting new people that might have the same interests. Now it has become more than just this, it opened new horizons not only for the lonely who wants friends, but also for the businessmen who need customers, the artists who want to show what they've got, and the popular who craves for more fame. All in all, in my opinion, social networking sites have become more of an advertisement super-highway than a means for people to chat and meet.

Social networking sites became so popular because they give people the power to promote themselves. Right now, everybody can become "famous" in fifteen minutes. Upload some interestingly controversial pictures (that may not necessarily look anything like you), post some of your best ideas (or problems in life), wait for a while, and your "friends" will surely give you their most "sincere" comments and advises… enough to make you feel like a star.

Based on my experience, social networking sites give us a virtual feeling similar to when we are having fun with actual friends -- all at the comfort of our rooms -- that it becomes more appealing to log in to the virtual world than really going out with friends. To some this may be good, like for example if you are on a vacation and far away from your friends. But to most, this is actually transforming real friends into mere virtual ones -- caring only about what needs to be done next to be the star again. Many people have integrated these sites into their daily practices (Boyd and Ellison, 2007). And a study showed that just in the U.S.A., more than half (57%) said that their friends used these sites only for self-promotion, narcissism and attention-seeking (Jason, 2009). They end up "sending messages," "sharing thoughts," "poking friends," letting people know "what are they doing," and therefore spamming their profiles with unnecessary details of their lives (that, again, may not necessarily be true) just to hit the right note.

On the other hand, one might still argue that social networking sites do really give opportunities to make real friends. One might say that exchanging messages, updating people what we are doing, and poking each other in the virtual world are no different than doing them in reality. But ask yourself: when you have a problem, could you replace a real tap on the back with a virtual smiley? Could a real rose be replaced by a virtual one on a Valentine's Day? Would you prefer to chat with your family on a Christmas day than to be together for real?