What Does ‘Friend’ Mean Nowadays?

Written by Pat's Papers | Thursday, 5 May 2011 11:04 AM

What does the word friend mean? It was easier to define before Facebook, back when you called and wrote the dozen or so people who earned the label. The Boston Globe says “‘friend’’ has become ‘contested terrain’’ linguistically as social media sites alter the term’s very DNA.” Part of the problem, or confusion, anyways, is that language evolves as the way we interact does: “The meanings of words derive from how we use them — and clearly as the world changes, we apply words in different ways. Some scientists suggest humans are only capable of sustaining about 150 healthy relationship, and that only about 5 of those are truly intimate.

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