Audio Essay Rough Draft

            I remember a time when I considered my friends to be those people that would ride their bikes with me around our neighborhood over the summer.  Whether it was playing a pickup football game in the backyard, ding-dong-ditching the neighbors, or blowing up toys with fireworks, we always found something to do to make the most out of our summer breaks.

            Unfortunately, the school year always came around too fast and we had to stop our summer shenanigans. As the summers came and went we began to stray away from our usual antics and started doing “grown up” things, like working. Needless to say, we all started to grow apart and began settling into our own lives.

            I believe that the meaning of the word “relationship” is changing, as we know it.  If you look at my Facebook you will see that I have over 700 “friends.” But of that 700, I actually have to stop and ask myself, who are my real friends? Do I hang out with all 700 friends on the weekends? Do I call them when I need help? Honestly, for most of my friends on Facebook, none of this is true. I mean, obviously I do hang out with some of my Facebook friends and I have at least heard of most of my friends. But there are still a lot of people I have never met before that I have accepted as my friends. There are even a few whom I still have no idea who they are.  I believe that this new idea of Internet friendship is tarnishing our perception of true friendship.  Just because we are friends on Facebook doesn’t mean that I actually consider us to be friends, or that we have even met for that matter.

            I believe Facebook has also changed our perception of dating. There once was a time when people could have privacy in their relationships. Now it seems like when we get into a relationship, we have to shout it out so that the whole world knows. I have even heard someone say “a relationship isn’t a relationship until its Facebook official.” What happened to privacy in relationships? Why can’t we do anything without getting the whole world involved?

            I believe that Facebook has totally changed our perception of what the word “relationship” means. What once involved actually knowing and talking to someone can now be done through a few clicks of a mouse. I still believe in the power of true friendship and I know who my best friends are. So I guess the only question left is “who are your friends?”