The new millennium has brought many changes, such as the way we commute, communicate and even how we handle our friendships.
Social media has changed the way we stay connected in this technologically-based world. Some may say that mechanical way of operating can carry on within our friendships.
The pandemic, social media and isolation have played a role in the demise of genuine friendships. We tend to make friends in spaces where we spend the most time, but those spaces have now been diluted to online connections and superficial dealings.
Danielle Colton, a nurse and recent college grad, has had trouble making friends while entering adulthood.
“Being in school during the pandemic definitely had an impact on meeting new people. It has been hard because I feel like everyone is in their own world,” Colton said. “I think as I get older it will be harder to make friends.”
University of Maryland psychologist Marisa Franco told Boston’s NPR news station, WBUR, that the foundation of building genuine friendships has been lost in the mix.
“Sociologists have kind of identified the ingredients that need to be in place for us to make friends organically, and they are continuous unplanned interaction and shared vulnerability,” Franco said. “As we become adults, we have less and less environments where those ingredients are at play.”
There have been recent talks about an ongoing loneliness epidemic that has plagued many Americans.
According to U.S. Advisory report, young people aged 15-24 have 70% less social interaction with their friends than 20 years earlier. Social media has taken the place of in-person relationships, which is affecting the quality of connections. Quality of connections contributes to whether an individual is considered lonely.
The definition of true friendship has not changed, but there is a lost art of garnishing and finding those friendships within a social media age.
Values such as loyalty, trust and intimate bonding are not something to go out of style, but some people may find that it is harder to find.
Colton does not think finding a true friend is easy at all.
“I have a hard time trusting people,” said Colton. “I think everyone is focused on getting clout on social media or valuing materialistic things instead of forming genuine bonds with other people.”
Friendship is not easy to find, but this social media age and external factors have led toward an alarming route in human connection. The effects can only be seen in our near future.
Health concerns and social mobility have been affected by these drastic changes in our relationships.
Only time will tell how this may impact the current generation and the outcome of our decline in sociability.