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Making Friends in a Digital Age

In the age of technology, everything is at our fingertips. We can have groceries delivered to our house, prescriptions refilled instantly, bills paid on time, and gifts sent to loved ones all with the touch of a button, without ever having to leave our home or our device. Similarly, we can make friends and start romantic relationships through our screens, which is inevitably changing the way that we connect with people, for better or for worse.

In elementary school, we made friends with our peers in our classes. We bonded by playing together at recess, working on group assignments, and trading items from our lunches all of which we did in person, face-to-face.

In the modern, digital age, things have changed substantially. We communicate our emotions and interests through carefully curated words (and emojis, of course!), and while these initial conversations can bring about and sustain long-term, meaningful relationships, these patterns also beg the question: Are we just as quick to make friends now as we were in the days before social media?

Or do we hold out and stand back until we’ve gauged that someone should be our friend, based on how they appear through their e-mail communication or social media persona? How do we engage in meaningful friendships in a digital age, becoming friends who initiate first and judge last?

Spend Time in Person

The internet and social media have helped friends stay in touch, whether they live down the street from one another or are separated by an ocean. E-mail, text, and Twitter can help us stay in the loop and updated on our loved one’s daily life, but don’t overlook the importance of spending time in person, too.

Why?

Real “face time” gives us the chance to connect on a deeper level, sharing the ups and downs of life that are outside of the fray of what’s Instagrammable. When spending time in person, keep your phone out of reach, if possible, since research shows that just the presence of your device can make loved ones feel unimportant.

Chat About Life Offline

When you first connect with a friend through an online medium, it is easy to only talk about the similarities you share in the online world. And for the most part, that’s okay usually our interests online are a reflection of our interests offline. But it make sure to connect on topics that live outside of your devices, too.

Discuss the dynamics of your relationships with your family, friends, and pets and significant others, your favourite foods and how you take your coffee, or the outfit you wear that makes you feel the best. It may sound like silly, obvious advice to discuss these kinds of things with one another, but being willing to get back to basics will help you relive the way you made friends on One fun example would be to make a recipe together, perhaps one that you’ve mutually found and liked on Pinterest.