What is a friend? Many people have friends that they go to for life advice, some have friends that they go to during times of crisis, and some have friends that they go to when emotional pains need to be relieved. There are different types of friends for different aspects of life, but all hold equal amounts of importance to one’s well-being as they encourage when one is sad, comfort when one is lonely, and appreciates when one does not feel valued. However, due to the development of today’s society, they are supposedly everywhere, and with the assumption that everybody is a friend, it is very common to abuse the word and label someone for who they are not. The word friend is largely misused and misunderstood, but an attempt will be made to shed some light on its true meaning.

The word friend is defined in several ways by a number of different sources, but most interpretations of the word are done in a futile and vague like fashion. A good example of this can be seen in the Merriam-Webster dictionary that construes the word friend as “one attached to another by affection or esteem” or “one who is not hostile.” As seen, these statements are purely shallow and do not go in depth on the true integrity that this word contains and holds. A worthy definition of a friend is someone who will not run away when times get tough, someone who will not prioritize self over others, but rather stand by you, respect you, and encourage you until the end. A usage of this word can be seen in a quote by Dr.Seuss, “To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world.” Dr.Seuss utilizes the word friend and gives it a sense of wholeness and the importance it places on one’s life, which gives way to the main concepts of friendship which is trust, appreciation and loyalty.

Synonyms such as “Acquaintance”, is a word that is similar to the word friend but takes on a whole different meaning and should never be interchanged with one another. An acquaintance is a person that someone associates and connects with in a superficial way. Although both words do have their similarities in the definition, the differences can be distinguished through the interaction among the two people. An acquaintance will have no real value to a person, for personal connections have not been made. However, a friend will have different levels of support for an individual’s interest and emotions, and if one is in a stage of grief where love and care is a necessity, than it is vital to differentiate from the two, for when it comes down to it, an acquaintance will not be there when understanding is needed. However, this does not mean that he or she will be this way forever, for everybody has potential to become a friend, it is the process that makes it difficult.

Social media is how people interact with one another and through the usage of some platforms such as Facebook or Twitter; people do just that and form many friendships with the click of a button. However, these so called friends are not very genuine to the label they have been given. The average Facebook user has about 338 friends according to bighthink and this should be known to be a very unrealistic number. According to NBC one should only really have two true friends, and the reason for this is because two friends can fulfill the emotional needs of a person that 338 Facebook users will never be able to do combined. However, some do not realize this and refer to these virtual profiles as genuine friends. People who cannot make friends in reality or choose not to, sublimates those complications with these many social media individuals for the more they get, the happier they become. This game of numbers is temporary and in the long run will lead to depression, and loneliness for these online people may not be present at the times when one might need them, and may not reciprocate the 2 way street a friendship is supposed to have. Yes, it is possible to create a genuine friendship through social media, but until a personal connection has been created through trust, appreciation and loyalty, most are simply acquaintances.

This investigation really shed light on how frequently the word “friend” is misapplied. Through the bad definitions of the word in dictionaries, through the misrepresentation of the word with a synonymous one, all the way to the social media game, usage of this word is prominent to be done incorrectly. Friendship is an important factor of life, as one needs it to fulfill the puzzle that is their life, and only certain pieces will fit, making it hard to find a friend that is right for another. The word friend holds a very powerful meaning, and to label someone as a friend should be a cherishing moment for anybody for they have found another extension of themselves.