[1]We're treating friendships like transactions, and it's ruining

[1]We're treating friendships like transactions, and it's ruining
relationships:

How are your friendship metrics-got lots of pals? Would you rate
them five stars or less? Are they helping you live your best life?

We can quantify everything now-from our [2]steps on Fitbit to our
[3]literary consumption on Goodreads. As a result, we feel we must
make everything and everyone count for something. That's a
phenomenon which is both distressing and depressing as it applies to
friendship.

Scan the internet and you'll see no end of posts advising you to
[4]toss toxic friends and surround yourself with people who [5]make
you feel good instead. The current cultural discourse suggests that
friends are people who we use to improve ourselves, and get rid of
when the going gets tough or if we're not having enough fun. One
BuzzFeed article goes so far as to suggest [6]forgetting a birthday
is a dump-worthy offense, while a Cosmopolitan article recommends
tossing friends who [7]binge-drink on a Saturday night.

The way we talk about friendship paints an ugly picture of the new
notion of relating-one that seeks maximum return on minimal
investment, and outlines an exit strategy anytime a friend doesn't
fulfill our fantasies. These posts reveal more about the toxicity of
our society than the negative people they're describing. It's
friendship as a capitalistic exchange, instead of relationships
involving people who care about each other, hanging out, and helping
each other through life's ups and downs.

It's enough to make you want to cry into a beer with a
confidante-you know, a close friend of the kind that's going out of
style.

(Via [8]Quartz » Technology)
Also on:

[9]Twitter
__________________________________________________________________

My original entry is here: [10]We're treating friendships like
transactions, and it's ruining relationships. It posted Mon, 13 Aug
2018 21:54:05 +0000.
Filed under: personal, tech,

References

1. https://qz.com/1352437/our-friends-arent-toxic-theyre-just-human/
2. https://qz.com/1097153/fitbits-hope-for-the-future-might-not-lie-on-your-wrist/
3. https://www.wired.com/story/goodreads-fomo/
4. http://time.com/4232351/dumping-toxic-friend/
5. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/friendship-observation/201707/end-friendship
6. https://www.buzzfeed.com/ariannarebolini/types-of-friends-you-shouldnt-feel-bad-dumping?utm_term=.lvAr3DLxP#.fyQ3aorOg
7. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/advice/a39943/toxic-friends-who-just-arent-worth-your-time/
8. https://qz.com/
9. https://twitter.com/TokyoGringo/status/1029125037465526280
10. https://www.prjorgensen.com/?p=1453