Klara and The Sun

Question

Does the term “Artificial Friend” resonate at all with you now, as a contemporary reader in the

age of social media and the internet? Are there levels of friendship in social media? How would

you describe the difference in the level of interaction between children and their “artificial”

versus their real/human friends?

Answer 1

Yes, artificial friends are real, I just call them followers. They like your post, may leave an encouraging fire emoji, but there is no substance to the relationship. Just like all social structures, there are levels to social media friendships; those who consistently like your content and consistently comment and share, those who occasionally like but never comment, those that only followed you back to keep their numbers up but never double-tap. Naturally, you are going to resonate more and reciprocate more digital love, and maybe even eventually physical love to the person who makes you feel more loved or liked amongst your social media peers. The difference between in interaction between your real and artificial friends is that you very well may speak to your artificial friends more, but there is something about having a physical relationship with someone, you make more lasting memories together.