On Friendship

‘Recently, through a somewhat convoluted series of events, I realised someone I used to be close friends with had removed me as a follower on Instagram. As I write this, I’m aware of the innate whiny-ness in those words, the teenage twang to them, but at the same time, in a way which language surrounding social media doesn’t seem able to, they don’t fully convey what was lost in that moment. Social media has become a form of lazy quasi-socialisation. Instead of talking to friends, catching up with them, we send Fire emojis in response to their Instagram stories, like their tweet about an embarrassing experience on the number 89 bus, and we think we’re keeping in touch. I hadn’t spoken to this friend in over two years, but I’d looked at her life unfold online and felt there was still a connection, a very tenuous one now broken.’

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You can read the full column here.