The Importance Of Face To Face Relationships

With the introduction of the World Wide Web in the early 1990’s, communication between people from all over the world has changed like never before. They are now able to speak with others whom they have never met, interact with them and get to know them with the help of the simple click of a button. Internet users can instantly develop new relationships faster than ever through virtual outlets such as online gaming, social media, or online dating websites. While this form of correspondence can be an exciting, new process of getting to know other people, it can follow up with many forms of unwelcome situations. These obstacles can include not having the benefits of a bond that a genuine face to face interaction has to offer, not being able to

These essential bonds include having someone to share your feelings and ideas with in a free space where neither party can be judged. Friends must be able to carry each other through hardships and be there to give each other comfort when needed. According to Rebecca Carroll from Guardian News and Media Limited, “…[her and her best friend] met one another head-on with intellect and humor and curiosity, and that allowed for parity and a basis from which to cultivate a real sense of solidarity” (Carroll, 2015). Meeting people in the real world lets you know if an interaction can become a genuine connection or not. Through the online world, you can never be certain if that bond will evolve into a true friendship once you meet offline. A true friendship consists of someone with whom there is an equal atmosphere, as well as sharing common interests and values, and a history. You must have the freedom of being yourself around each other. You must be able to trust that the actions and words you have for each other are healthy and genuine. They must make you feel happy and feel good about yourself and never put you down. Also, you get a true understanding of how someone is feeling, in the real world. There is far less room for miscommunication because you can judge this by personally seeing their reactions and body language. Having the ability to physically see each other can be reassuring. It shows the

Now, being a friend is about the amount of likes, followers, and photos you have. Simply meeting somebody off of the street and having a five minute conversation with them one time could drive someone to add that person on a social media outlet and state that they are friends, just because they are now friends online. Again, from Guardian News and Media Limited, “Facebook has all but co-opted and destroyed the term “friend”, allowing and encouraging us to measure the value of our friends in shares, mentions, retweets, and Instagram likes, commoditizing who has the most followers” (Carroll, 2015). The fact that having friends has become so superficial goes to show how little value people have in actually developing true bonds with another person. These relationships cannot be nearly as strong as those that occur in the palpable world. Someone whose photo you might like or someone you might befriend on social media might not be someone you will talk to on a day to basis. It is so easy to interact online but when you do see them in person, a friend is someone you can at least say hi to, without any awkward tension, not someone who you ignore or purposely