Single, White Unemployed Female: Facebook is Great, But Friendships Need Effort

Ten years from now, the class of 2010 will reunite in Fredericksburg to reminisce about the good times in college. As early as a year from now, some of us will be going to a five-year high school reunion. The only reason I ever wanted to go to any of my high school reunions was to see who was the CEO and who was still waiting to grow up.

Nowadays, it seems like there’s no purpose in going to these functions. Facebook has become the interactive yearbook, where the pictures change every month to reflect what people look like now.

Instead of being surprised to find out your high school ex is married, you can easily stalk him online. A simple search for his name and a click on his profile will lead you to his relationship status, along with pictures from both the engagement and wedding.

While looking at people from my childhood’s Facebook profiles can be quite a guilty pleasure, there are times where I wish I could still think of them as just “that kid who ate paste.” The same goes for the people I babysat. I see them with a cup of beer instead of a cup of apple juice in their profile picture.

While Facebook has been great for keeping in touch, it has made me realize that you can’t catch up with someone anymore.

It’s a great way for people to reconnect with old friends and keep in touch with current ones, but make sure that it doesn’t become the only way you communicate. The art of writing letters has died for many, but a simple e-mail or phone call means more than just looking at recent updates. As we graduate, keep that in mind.

It’s important to move on after college, but keeping those close friendships you made during these past couple of years is important as well. If there’s one thing I don’t regret from high school, it’s that I kept in touch with a handful of friends. One of my best friends was just a good friend in high school, but since college, we text or call each other on an almost daily basis.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that Facebook can be a good starting point for keeping in touch, but it takes effort from both parties for it to remain a real friendship. Next year, there may be a five-year high school reunion, but I’m not sure if I’ll attend. The people I like I still talk to, and everyone else is a click away.