Abstract
In a special issue of Ethics and Information Technology (September 2012), various philosophers have discussed the notion of online friendship. The preferred framework of analysis was Aristotle's theory of friendship: it was argued that online friendships face many obstacles that hinder them from ever reaching the highest form of Aristotelian friendship. In this article I aim to offer a different perspective by critically analyzing the arguments these philosophers use against online friendship. I begin by isolating the most common arguments these philosophers use against online friendship and proceed to debunk them one by one by pointing out inconsistencies and fallacies in their arguments and, where needed, offering empirical findings from media and communication studies that offer a more nuanced view on online friendships. I conclude my analysis by questioning the correctness of the application of the Aristotelian theory of friendship by the critics of online friendship: in my view, the critics are applying the Aristotelian theory to online friendships in a rather narrow and limited way. Finally, I conclude my thesis by proposing that in the rapidly changing online landscape, a one-size-fits-all application of the Aristotelian theory on friendship is not sufficient to accurately judge the multitude of relationships that can exist online and that the various positive and valuable elements of online friendships should also be acknowledged and analyzed.
Highlights
The rise of the Internet and other online communication technologies has assisted the proliferation of connecting and creating relationships with people online
In ‘‘Using the Aristotelian theory of the good life to analyze online friendships’’ section I give a short overview of Aristotle’s theory on friendship and I subsequently present the main points of the critics of online friendship
They are not the same, but even if they were, how would we find the time to get so close to one individual when we are monitoring the statuses and updates of so many people?’’ (p. 236). Sharp finds this a disturbing trend, especially since young people could mistake fleeting news updates with a true sense of friendship. His observations pertain to the nature and function of many social networking sites, on which one can have hundreds of friends whose lives one can follow by checking on their status updates; this is not conductive to building a virtue friendship, since such a friendship needs prolonged and intense interaction in order to build up trust and a sense of connection
Summary
Excellent online friendships: An Aristotelian defense of social media. ‘I’ve never clicked this much with anyone in my life’: Trust and hyperpersonal communication in online friendships. Real character-friends: Aristotelian friendship, living together, and technology. The obstacles against reaching the highest level of Aristotelian friendship online. Comparing the prudential value of actual and virtual friendship. Information sharing and relationships on social networking sites. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 16(8), 582–587. Toward understanding friendship in online social networks. The International Journal of Technology, Knowledge and Society, 5(2), 1–8
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
