© Getty Images

All around us -

When it comes to technology, it seems safe to say that it has pervaded pretty much every area of our everyday lives.

© Shutterstock

Tech and the pandemic -

Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic provided a good illustration of how much we have come to rely on technology, and of the important social role it plays.

© Shutterstock

Staying connected - Rather than waiting out the lockdown in complete social isolation, we attended Zoom calls with our friends. We used social media to keep in touch with those close to us.

© Shutterstock

Staying safe -

Rather than going to the supermarket in person and risking spreading the virus, many of us ordered groceries online and waited for them to be delivered.

© Shutterstock

Obvious impact -

The way in which technology, and in particular social media, has impacted and continues to impact the way we interact with one another cannot be ignored.

© Shutterstock

Doom and gloom - There is a strong tendency, however, to suggest that social media only impacts friendship negatively, and that friendship is even in decline.

© Shutterstock

Social critique -

We often hear people bemoaning the fact that kids no longer talk to each other, but sit transfixed by their smartphones instead.

© Shutterstock

Selfie cynics -

We also hear that selfie culture has taught us to indulge our narcissistic side and care more about the way we present ourselves to the world than establishing connections with others.

© Shutterstock

Nothing new -

The concern that modern technology may devalue our friendships is as old as time. In fact, there is evidence of it going all the way back to Socrates.

© Shutterstock

Fear of letters -

Sources suggest that more than 2,000 years ago, Socrates expressed concern that writing letters would be damaging to friendships. He found face-to-face interactions to be far superior.

© Shutterstock

Scared of phones -

Similarly, in the early 20th century, many people feared that the new-fangled telephones would dilute friendships and/or encourage unhealthy social relationships.

© Shutterstock

The reality -

Of course, neither of those concerns has any real merit. Both letters and telephones serve the important purpose of being able to connect us with those who are physically distant.

© Shutterstock

The irony -

Indeed, it is communication via these channels that many now fear will die out at the hands of modern technology and social media.

© Shutterstock

Deep dive - So, what are the arguments that 21st-century technology is damaging to our friendships? And could it be argued that they have any merit?

© Shutterstock

Echo chambers -

One argument commonly put forward by social media skeptics is that it promotes echo chambers, the groups we sort ourselves into based on shared ideas and interests.

© Shutterstock

Why they are feared -

Echo chambers are considered dangerous by some; it is thought that by exposing ourselves only to people who share our ideas, we become more entrenched in our thinking.

© Shutterstock

Again, nothing new -

This may well be true, but as philosopher Rebecca Roache argues, echo chambers are nothing new. We have long since surrounded ourselves with like-minded people.

© Shutterstock

Realistically -

It is not as if, before social media, people made friends with people from all different walks of life. Even though that may be desirable and healthy, of course.

© Shutterstock

Benefits -

There are also benefits to social media when it comes to surrounding ourselves with people who have similar interests and experiences to us.

© Shutterstock

Place of comfort -

Social media allows us to connect with a wider group of people than we would otherwise be able to, and to find support and solidarity where it might otherwise be difficult.

© Shutterstock

The definition of friendship -

It might also be argued that basing our friendships solely on shared views and experiences does not make for a strong friendship at all.

© Shutterstock

Transcendence - Indeed, there are people who believe that true friendship should and does transcend these commonalities and that they don’t matter at all in the grand scheme of things.

© Shutterstock

Unconditional -

This, of course, may be true. Most of us can think of at least one person we love and admire despite them having different views and interests to us.

© Shutterstock

In reality - That does not mean, however, that we should not seek out friendship based on shared interest.

© Shutterstock

Quality vs. quantity -

One final argument is that social media encourages us to value quantity over quality when it comes to friendship, and that this devalues the connections we make.

© Shutterstock

Internet friends - Of course, it is true that many of us have ‘friends’ lists on social media that cater to thousands of people, if not more.

© Shutterstock

Limited capacity -

Whether this means that we actually have fewer strong social connections in our lives is up for debate, however. It is likely that our ability to make good friends is already limited.

© Shutterstock

Dunbar's number - Anthropologist Robin Dunbar has studied social groups over the centuries and found that the maximum number of stable connections we are able to maintain is 150.

© Shutterstock

The real reason -

According to Dunbar’s research, this number is determined by cognitive capacity, suggesting that social media has less of an influence than we might think.

© Shutterstock

All in all -

It seems, then, that while the way we interact with each other via technology may look different, in fact there are still many parallels with the friendships of days gone by.

Sources: (BBC)

See also: The most fatal technological disasters in history

© Shutterstock