Do you think we live in a lonelier society. Can you describe what a real friend is

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dresta2000

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I mean we have the internet which can be a great tool for connecting with people but in some ways i feel tecnology has made things worse.

Take facebook for example nearly everyones page claims to have loads of friends but how many of them are real friends.

Matter of fact what is a real FRIEND?
 
The internet does seem to have drastically changed the concept of "social behavior".. while in the past it might have been social to go over to a friend's place, or hang out somehwere, today's idea of "social behavior" apparently includes writing something on somebody's wall on Facebook, or telling as much people you know what it is exactly that you're doing in your day - also on Facebook, of course. What's worse - it seems those people gain some kind of status out of it when they get more "likes' and comments on their braindead comments like "I've made a sandwhich. It tasted fairly average".

As for what a real friend is - that different for each and every person. I could give my definition, but that need not be exactly the same as, say, yours.. or anyone elses.
 
do people really take something like facebook that seriously? i mean, its a nice tool to keep in contact with people, but i don't know any people that make a big deal about how many likes or friends they have. am i in the minority here?
 
I don't have no idea. No experiences about real friends...

But a real friend is probably someone, who is always there, no matter what, supports you, don't lie, accepts you totally, cares about you etc.?
 
When I used facebook I would draw huge cocks on peoples walls. Now we have doodle in xat for that. :)
 
I think we live in more isolation, society has become more violent less control by politics as they gave to much control away to the free market that left society thinking it was OK to walk all over people as long as you where driving a 50k car at the end of it. The riots showed this, self seeking individuals with no scenes of community just the desire for more honeysuckle for themselves. I hope something good comes out of the riots in the UK but I think it could have done with being far worse to make people really sit up and push for change.



A real friend is someone who offers you genuine friendship, what is friendship a bond between to people, this bond may just be enjoying each others company via a chat to going on holiday together to the ultimate friend the person you may well get wed to thats if you are attracted to them etc.
 
I saw this thread when answering a different post, but I think the 2nd half of it - 'Describe what a real friend is ' has a great deal of relevance to some of the posts we are seeing today. That is, lots of younger people on ALL having trouble with friends/friendship.

So I thought, as well as the 'what do you want in an SO' thread, maybe it might be interesting to explore 'what is a friend? What do we seek from friendship?

Anyway, lets see what advice ALL members can give on this one. Over to y'ALL.....
 
Someone who will be honest with you when you ask and just doesn't pay lip service. Someone you can depend on to be there for you, who you can talk to about anything, who will simply just comfort you when you need it. Someone who can make you feel better with a simple hug. Someone you can share a common interest with and a person you enjoy being around.
 
...someone who doesn't have a new signature that gives you motion sickness every time you see it? (it really, really does lol)
 
Yeah, I do think we've become more isolated than before... You would think with all the technology advancements, we'd be more connected but we're not... Technologies can help us communicate faster but nothing like a live human contact face to face... I think true friendship is very hard to describe only because it means different thing to different people... There's an old saying, "Explaination is over-rated... True friends don't need it & enemies won't believe it anyway"... For me, it holds very true... Someone who can be there for you without having to have any type of explaination & still trusts you enough that there's a good enough reasons behind your actions... Someone who backs you up regardless weather they agree with you or not...
 
I kind of don't think we can lay the feet of this disconnect at the internet. I feel like we use the internet to connect for one reason... we are all too busy to maintain friendships / relationships. I lay this at the feet of too much work. Even if YOU don't have a hectic life, many of your friends may. So for instance I remember the first time I got laid off I was all excited. I was going to have fun. HA... I almost went insane. All my friends and potential friends were at work. Many couldn't even find time to have lunch. Even now.. on the weekends it is quite the feat to meet up with anyone. Everyone lives about 1/2 hour from me and assuming we meet up someplace... we all have errands to run.

A friend last week was supposed to come over for something but she ended up not making it because she had to work on the weekend. The only way I DO keep in touch with my friends is facebook when they get home at 10 and get on.

I think a true friend is someone who accepts you completely and is there for you. I have a few amazing friends in this regard. I only wish there was something I could do so they understood.
 
Alex Trebec: "This is thought to be something that doesn't exist, even with the advances in modern technology."

Contestant: "What is a 'real friend'?"

Alex Trebec: "That's right, for the Daily Double."
 

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