Friendship in today's world

Friendship is the voluntary interconnection among people who help each other through hard times and often share the same interests or values. Life without friends becomes dull or miserable. With time, the definition and purpose have changed drastically. 

For some millennials, friends are the source of mental peace when the home fails to provide it. Even many romantic relationships form through the initial stage of friendship. We make friends as we grow up and even lose some on the way. 

Childhood friends are probably the purest form of friendship as kids are less aware of social status and are free to make friends without holding any superstitions.

High school and college friends are the ones we are more comfortable with and carry with us for most of our lives. High school friendships are the coping mechanism for adolescents going through changes in emotions.  

Friendship in university is built on similar life goals, living standards, etc. Since most people probably have high school or childhood friends who are reliable and most comfortable with them, young adults search for friends who will help them move further in life. That is why there is a common complaint among university students claiming that they are surrounded by 'Snakes'.

Moreover, friendships between colleagues in the professional field are also meaningful as they increase productivity and reduce the monotony of the office environment. 

In today's world, texting has become a significant communication channel through which we express our feelings. Instead of a hug or pat on the shoulder to our friends drowning in depression, emojis are being used to express empathy or rage.

Ensuring that the tone of texts is appropriate and does not offend the recipients is crucial for millennials and Gen Z.

This generation prefers to communicate through phones rather than meeting up for a coffee date. The same person chatting all night finds it more accessible to cancel plans at the last minute when social anxiety suddenly hits.

It is excellent to communicate with people through video calls, voice messages, or texting, especially with those living far away. But it can always be different from meeting face to face.

According to some, social media is ruining the significance of friendship by allowing users to refer to hundreds and thousands of people as friends in the name of networking. Social media encourages users to focus on quantity over quality. 

Research has found that the number of friends one can have is limited by one's cognitive capacity, which consists of attention, memory, perception, and decision-making. So, if a new person becomes essential in your life, someone else has to make room for them. Therefore, those with many friends, whether on social media or in real life, can barely know about the individuals well enough to call them friends.

However, things took a different turn during the pandemic. When the COVID-19 lockdowns started, there were almost no face-to-face conversations, hangouts, or stayovers. As a result, social media friendships took a more profound form. It was no longer just the number of friends on your Facebook; people started to create deeper connections through chatting. 

Human life involves adapting to new environments. So, we must accept how friendships work in this generation instead of feeling offended by our friends' actions.

Just because your friend is late replying to texts does not mean the friendship is to be thrown away. Accept the fact that everyone has their own life to live.

Yes, in life, there will come people who only build friendships with a purpose. But that does not mean everyone that prioritizes themselves is self-centred and egoistic. Friendship today involves technology, but it does not conclude that friendships are artificial or shallow. 

Find out what works best for you and your friends and adapt to changes. Use social media to stay connected to all sorts of friends.

Do more than use it as a platform to show nicely clicked pictures of your squad to prove your popularity. Try to stick with 2-3 friends who will stay by your side through 'Well and woe'. Because only by staying together can the human race fight crippling depression and loneliness and grow together.

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