The article on ‘Facebook friends’ by Jubel D’Cruz was very appropriate and a timely reminder that virtual friends can never take the place of real friends. In this technology-driven age, people have literally taken to social media to vent their pent-up emotions and in the process have allowed virtual strangers to intrude into their privacy. These unintended intrusions into one’s personal life have often resulted in feigned relationships, which have had adverse consequences in the form of failed short-term relationships, emotional break-downs, financial losses and growing social alienation of the individual. It is worth remembering that real friendship is not a one-day affair, as it has to be cultivated in the real sense which requires a thorough understanding of the other individual over a period of time. Facebook friends may come and go while real friends will stand by you through thick and thin.
Amit Banerjee
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
