We hope you enjoy your visit.

You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Social Networking & Friends
Topic Started: Jan 10 2012, 01:58 PM (530 Views)
Nivexonix
Member Avatar
Love
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
When I was younger, I heard constantly that the best friends you make are those in college. You eventually forget about high school friends, unless you were very close. Recently, someone else told me the higher up you go in education, the stronger your friendships with those people are. But, I started thinking about all of this, and personally, I didn't see this as a viable issue. I figured that people would be likely to stay friends because of more social networking tools.

I might have thought wrong. Going back over things and people I talked to years ago (both on forums and in social networks), it was seem there is a big shift. I almost don't even talk to those people anymore. So I'm curious, what do you think of this all? Is social networking helping to maintain friendships longer or is it just another thing to occupy time with?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Helena-ZNR
Member Avatar
No PMs on this account please
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
I think social networking makes for pseudo-intimacy in friendships. Unless you actually get together physically, online relationships are incomplete because you don't fully experience the person in their complete package.

Once you have an established relationship, I think social networking can help revive or continue it. I don't believe you can form the same kind of bonds if online contact is the sole means of interaction.

In my own experience, I have much more of a connection with people I know personally/physically/have-done stuff-together-in-real-life-with than those I know just from online conversations.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Maiz
Member Avatar
Lord of all things corn.
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
I agree with Helena about the pseudo-relationships that things like Facebook have created, but I don't think that social networking is really changing anything. Even in high school I only had a small group of friends that I really enjoyed being with, so it doesn't surprise me that I haven't seen most of my graduating class since the day we graduated (and I only graduated with a class of ~55, so I knew everybody). And even that small group has gotten smaller as I moved further away than everybody else. That being said, I've met some of my closest current friends in the past three years at college. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that you generally know yourself better as you get older, so making friends is based on shared interests instead of sheer proximity. Most of my friends now have some knowledge of design and that's probably where our friendship started. I also find it awkward that we reference what people have said on Twitter and Facebook in every day chat. I do it too, and sometimes it's fitting, but other times it just sounds weird.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Trapnest
Member Avatar
can you feel it now?
[ *  *  *  * ]
I also agree with Helena. Although it does allow you to contact people from your past and such like primary school friends and arrange meet-ups too but so many just talk online and don't meet up because of social networking.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
lightsilver
Member Avatar
this || that
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
I feel like... in social media, it's about people you know... of, and... about, or, have ever spoken to before. It's not really about friendship.

And, I think the reason your friends from higher up schooling are generally better friends, is just situational. You friends from highschool might not be in the same post secondary school, so you don't see them frequently. And the thing is, just, you're not the same person you were in high school. It's just the same as how most people aern't friends with the same people from kindergarden to high school. You evolve as a person, get more interests, to to school based on those interests, and meet people who share those interests. So... you're meeting people you have more in common with. So you're probably going to be better friends.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Nivexonix
Member Avatar
Love
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
lightsilver
Jan 11 2012, 06:19 AM
I feel like... in social media, it's about people you know... of, and... about, or, have ever spoken to before. It's not really about friendship.
Good point. I've started cutting friends on Facebook that I never talk to, purely because I don't see the reason to have them as "friends" on it.

Maiz
Jan 10 2012, 03:16 PM
That being said, I've met some of my closest current friends in the past three years at college. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that you generally know yourself better as you get older, so making friends is based on shared interests instead of sheer proximity. Most of my friends now have some knowledge of design and that's probably where our friendship started.
lightsilver
Jan 11 2012, 06:19 AM
And, I think the reason your friends from higher up schooling are generally better friends, is just situational. You friends from highschool might not be in the same post secondary school, so you don't see them frequently. And the thing is, just, you're not the same person you were in high school. It's just the same as how most people aern't friends with the same people from kindergarden to high school. You evolve as a person, get more interests, to to school based on those interests, and meet people who share those interests. So... you're meeting people you have more in common with. So you're probably going to be better friends.
I like what both of you said here. I never really thought of it like that, but it makes much more sense to me now, after reading it bluntly :P I suppose you do develop strong bonds with those who are similar to you :)
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Teresa.
Member Avatar
Member
[ *  *  *  * ]
This thread made me have a look at my list of facebook friends, and of all 240 of them I really only talk to about 50 of them, and there are only about 10 that I actually spend time with, away from computers. Kind of sad, really. Social networks can make you feel like you have a lot of friends, but you don't get that sense of closeness.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Ardy
Member Avatar
.
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
I feel as though we've become much less social with the way we talk to people today. Rarely do we meet, rarely do we see someone in their entirety. I for one don't text or use social networking often as I find it's just a easier way to spread drama and most other negativity throughout school.

Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
lightsilver
Member Avatar
this || that
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Ardy.
Jan 24 2012, 11:57 AM
I feel as though we've become much less social with the way we talk to people today. Rarely do we meet, rarely do we see someone in their entirety. I for one don't text or use social networking often as I find it's just a easier way to spread drama and most other negativity throughout school.

Sort of like this?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Ardy
Member Avatar
.
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
That image is a fine representation of what things seem like now. I'll be driving with my friends up to the city which used to be a heck of a fun time in itself and now it's a quiet drive with the tapping of keys to Facebook.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
« Previous Topic · Community Chat · Next Topic »
Add Reply