Authentic friendship in the age of social media

Abstract

Social networking is an important form of communication for many people today. The language of friendship is sometimes embedded in the operational structure of social media, as is demonstrated by the example of ‘Facebook friends’. This article seeks to examine the nature of friendships as they are mediated by the technology of social networking. It builds a notion of ‘authentic friendship’ by drawing upon the fields of both philosophy and theology, examining several conceptions of friendship as it has been recognised before the advent of social networking. It then examines the contemporary practices of social media users from a behavioural standpoint, drawing conclusions as to the authenticity of different aspects of those relationships.