Social Networking and Friendships

The following thoughts are written by Oostburg Christian School 8th Grade student and future Eagle, Sierra Van Der Pol

Like, like, like, like. Scrolling through your feed, you see what people are doing everyday.  You see a picture of your friend in a selfie with you and instantly feel a boost of self confidence. You were in that picture. Insta-happiness. But, the next day you see that person. The person that was always fake and inconsiderate to you in a picture with your BFF. Social networking friendships. They can be good and bad. There are many positive aspects of having friends on social networking with you. You can post selfies with “The Squad” so everyone can see how much fun you’re having. I tend usually not to do that because I find it aggravating when people have to post something at all times to show how popular they are. DM-ing (direct messaging) gives you the opportunity to have a chat or a group chat with all your friends. 

Social networking can be loads of fun, but it also can be hurtful.  Seeing some of your close friends being invited somewhere with someone else without you can be very damaging to your selfie esteem (pun intended). Cyber bullying can also take place online. I read a story about an Instagram account dedicated to the intentional tearing down of a girl who had done nothing to the bullies. The account was even called “[girl’s name]shoulddie” or something to that extent. I enjoy social networking with friends, but I prefer hanging out in person. As a result, you can build better face to face social skills and have a pretty good time without anyone having to know about your #bestdayever.  

Online friendships are good, but real life ones will definitely impact your life in a more positive way.