Is true freindship being rendered obsolete?

[Sniper_Zegai]

This has been on my mind for awhile, mainly when I first heard about myspace and other blog websites where people can make "friends", I have no problem with these by the way, but it kinda got me thinking.

Is friendship being made redundant these days?

Let me get one thing clear. I'm the kinda dude who really takes my friends and friendships seriously. When I call someone my best friend, I really mean it and they have to earn it. I know some people fins that a bit weird and thats OK. But I only really get to talk to my friends online now and I miss the closeness that comes with having a conversation in real life. I mean I could have loads of friends on youtube or myspace but they aren't really friends, hell I don't even know these people.

Ive kinda jabbered on a bit here so I'll stop with this. Do you think friendship is being downgraded by the lack of real interaction? Or do you think friendship is becoming even better as a result of this?

Anyway hope you enjoy this thread. If you can understand what I'm blabbing on about. :D

I just remembered something. Thanks to Hayashi. This isn't a "Agree or Disagree" thread. This is more of a "How does it effect you?" deal, you don't need to get really personal or anything but I was just wondering if you think what I mentioned effects you in anyway at all.
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[Ujitsuna]

Friendship isn't redundant, it may mean nothing (or less) on MySpace and web sites like that, but in real life it remains the same (at least to me).

[Ezekiel]

[HarmonianHiccup]

I think the concept of friendship always has and always will remain something that means something different to each person. I agree that the whole MySpace/Facebook thing adds a new dimention to the meaning of the word, but I don't think it fundamentally changes the way in which people view the concept.

Real friendship is what it is, no matter what you call it.

After all, it would be pretty dorky to have to add people to your "acquaintances" list on Facebook. O_o
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Proud Owner and Operator of The Hiccup's Speciality Grassland Atelier, the only place to find Electric Whiffle Bats!

[Sniper_Zegai]

[Fu Su Lu]

friendship is not obsolete nowadays, loyalty to your friends seems to be
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Who lights a candle casts a shadow.
Uncle Weirdo is on hoilidays... by now

[Overdose]

Friendship is in no way obsolete, I value all my friends where ever they are. My friends online though I do not have physical contact with them I am always there for. My friends here in huddersfield where I live I am here for them, my true friends know who they are as I've told them and they know i'm here and always a ring, text, IM away.

I like all my friends equally though I trust my closest friends who I have known longest the most.
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FOREVER X!!!

[HarmonianHiccup]

[Rakuna]

I feel the title 'friend' has lost it's meaning, if anything. I really don't believe talking to someone a couple times makes them a friend at all. I consider very, very few people friends. Everyone else is an acquaintance. You have to earn friendship, even more so for the title 'best' friend. Most people these days just seem to hand that out to whoever will talk to them. Friend. It's used pretty loosely these days.

[Luceit]

I don't think that things such as Myspace, Friendster and Facebook render true friendship obsolete, since they are for most purposes a way to keep in contact with your friends and other acquaintances. They aren't things that would diminish the value of true friendship.
On the other hand, I think that the word 'friendship' is too commonly used nowadays. I see people calling each other friends all the time, even though they don't know each other that well and they talk very little to each other. Having more online friends than real life friends though, I can safely say that I happen to like my online friends more than most of my real life friends, perhaps due to sheer proximity. (I don't use any of those Myspace things though; I keep in contact with my friends through messengers and Internet forums).

Has true friendship diminished? Perhaps it has, since people have to fend for themselves now, and I see a lot of cases where a person was betrayed by his/her best friend. Even so though, it is certainly not obsolete in our world.
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[Inko]

I don't think Friendship has really diminished very much since past times. There will always be people willing to betry those they are closest too, and there will always be those who are devote as a saint to there friends. As far as making friends over the internet and myspace and such, I think that these things are interesting concepts seeing as you can meet people from different far-off lands, and even those who don't live but 50 miles from you all from your computer screen. I'm a very untrusting person, and I've meet a few amazing people over the net, who I am glad to call my friends. I think though that people are reinventing different uses for the word Friend, Best Friend, and even the word of Love. That is fine as well, because as things move on in the world I think that meanings of words should change as well.

[Cloudless Eye]

Hell yes it's diminished. Just recently I've figured out that true friendship don't mean nuthin' in front of a woman. I mean, it's still there afterwords in guilt and such.. But that ain't true friendship when you can really bring yourself to do somethin' like that to a friend anyways.

I used to think havin' a friendship was a good thing. Keep you away from people who'd screw you over; but it didn't. If this moves people away from friendship; I apoligize. I mean, if you can find a great friend by all means do it. Just be careful who it is I guess.
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[kuwaizair]

when someone tells me they have 200 friends in life, I laugh...or feel souless because its hard for me to have true friends. friends you share food and stuff with, sleep overs, go to the movies, lazy about and play videogames, watch films, snack, hike with or anything.

now a friend is someone you talk to on the bus but you are indiffernt to, now a friend is the guy you got drunk with last tuesday, or the person sitting in front of you in class.

prehaps people just use the word wrongly nowadays.
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few runes short of a set of 27

[Ikano]

Personally....it feels like...mm....the 'real meaning of friendship' seems to be slowly fading away into a place where no one looks/remembers...
I know it means different things to different people so it's hard for me to word this...
But like...from what I see in day to day life....people generally think quantity over quality in terms of friendship.

I mean...I see people...more and more people everyday "collecting friends" like they're baseball cards.
To me...myspace and other sites similar to it feel the same. To me they look like you go on there and "friend" as many people as you can. The more "friends" you get on there the more like famous you feel I guess?
I know that's not the case for 100% of those friends you friend but still...to a mere outsider looking at someone with 50+ friends listed on those sorts of sites....it sort of makes you wonder... :?

I know what I just said is an extreme outlook on this issue...but just to conclude...
Yes...I feel as though the meaning of "true friendship" might slowly be dissapearing....or at least hiding from public view so-to-speak...
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