Allie Volpe for Vox had a very personal piece about using mobile friendship apps for making new friends. She used Bumble for Friends, Timeleft, and Hey! Vina. As has been observed, dating apps have not turned out to fulfill the promises of finding the perfect love “one swipe away”. So how does that work out for finding friendships? On the one hand this seems a slightly less charged activity, since it is less exclusive (having more than one friend being perceived as more common than having more than one romantic partner). But the awkwardness remains big, it appears.
At 32, I find myself in the oh-so-common intersection of “wants to make new friends” and “wow this is hard.” I’m fortunate to have deep, long-term friendships dating back to high school, as well as tremendously fulfilling relationships I forged in early adulthood. But my late 20s were spent in a pandemic-induced social limbo that lasted long enough for me to realize I hadn’t really made any new connections in nearly half a decade.
[….]
More digital tools than ever before have come to market to address the ongoing loneliness epidemic. But I wanted to see for myself: Are they effective at fostering a friendship you want to work for? Do they connect you to those worth spending time with outside of a chatbox? Or are they plagued by all the same problems of online dating — flighty matches, algorithms designed to keep you on the apps, and a lot of heartache and dissatisfaction?
Interesting piece because it sheds lights on the intricate ways in which mediated tekstveld are not just made easier and more available but also change in nature because of this. Mobile apps and interfaces turn friendships into a on-demand service. And just like any other service, this means low commitment. As soon as things het awkward or difficult you can pull out.
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