Ten years ago, if you were to ask a random person on the street how many friends they had, they would probably would have thought for a moment and answered it. between 5 and 20 people in their life were considered friends. Ask the average college-aged person today, and the answer could very well be several hundred. The term “friend” has taken on a whole new meaning thanks to the advent of social media technology and the degree to which our culture is now connected to the Internet. Computers were just the beginning of our layers of connections. Cell phones, video game systems and even televisions are now connected to the network. Connecting with friends and loved ones halfway around the world is now instantaneous thanks to email, instant messaging, and webcam programs like Skype. The last decade has certainly seen society become much more tech-savvy and electronically connected. We have to wonder if all this increased instant communication has had detrimental consequences on our culture. The tradition of sending letters and greeting cards has been overtaken by email and e-cards. The same feeling is there, but does the recipient feel like the same effort was put into contacting them? If we want to visit a loved one but are short on time and money, we simply plug in the webcam and have a family video conference. We will have the opportunity to talk to our loved ones and see them, but no hugs or warm hugs will be exchanged. Could this be the same thing? Let's take the example we started with: Today, a random college-age person might tell you that they have several hundred friends. If so, they are probably thinking of their online friends on social networks like Myspace and Facebook. Many of these people may only be casual acquaintances, met once at a party or social function where the...... middle of paper ...... Center for the Study of technology and society. Internet. April 26, 2011. The social network. By Aaron Sorkin and Ben Mizrich. Perf. Jesse Eigenberg. Columbia Pictures, 2010. DVD “Social Network: Interaction is Involuntary”. Web log publication. Jack's opinion. March 2011. Web. April 26, 2011. “Social media/blogs now account for one in four and a half minutes online | Nielsen Wire. » Nielsen wire. The Nielsen Company, June 15, 2010. Web. April 26, 2011. .Wallenstein, Andrew. “Why can’t Facebook “friends” accept rejection? » Day to day. NPR. August 7, 2008. National Public Radio. Internet. April 26, 2011. Watkins, S. Craig. Young people and digital: what the migration to social networking sites, games and anytime, anywhere media means for our future. Boston: Beacon, 2009. E-book.