Define both friend and peer. Would most “friends” on social networking sites be considered friends, peers, or neither? Why or why not? How do you choose your online “friends”?

Friend is defined as “a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations” (Oxford English Dictionary). A peer is typically someone in the same age group or social status that you relate to. This could be someone at school, work, church, sports team etc.

Most people on social networking sites are not considered true friends but peers because there may be no true relationship between them apart from interacting through messaging or comments online. Often times these relationships remain virtual and it would be unlikely for the two individuals to meet face-to-face to establish an actual friendship outside of their digital interaction. Furthermore, many people use social media networks as way to expand their reach in terms of meeting new people; acquaintances rather than friends.

When using social networks, it is important to be mindful when deciding who you want to connect with online as your “friends” and remember that just because someone agrees to become your friend does not make them part of your real life circle. It’s important to choose wisely by considering how much info you share about yourself and how well do you know this person before accepting a request so that they cannot misuse the information shared on your profile (Rai 2020).

When reaching out to strangers on a site such as Facebook or Twitter whether it’s for business purposes or other reasons take precautionary steps by starting off slowly until trust can be established over time with regular communication via messages/comments/etc . Avoid doling out contact info such as phone number or address until there is assurance that this connection would benefit both parties without any malicious intent behind it.

In conclusion friendships should not be taken lightly especially when we are talking about online ones where things can quickly get complicated if boundaries are crossed so stay vigilant in choosing who we associate ourselves with even if it’s only virtually! Be sure always think twice before adding anyone as a friend online since they often have access potentially damaging personal information which can easily end up being used against us if precautions aren’t taken properly upfront while trying making an effort towards building strong relationships within our digital spaces!