It seems almost a throw-away term nowadays.
Since the advent of myspace and the like, especially Facebook, it's constant (incorrect) use has all but eliminated meaning from the word. The apparent competition or need to have hundreds upon hundreds of "friends" that people barely know. A friend used to be someone you got to know, someone that you could talk to, even perhaps someone you could count on.
It's sad the number of people that place the importance on the number of friends, not the quality, amassing one after the other with gestures and promises only to fall short when the need arises.
Now I don't begrudge those that choose to have a large number of "friends" on facebook. Each to their own. Just think for a moment about the people in your life, both on and offline.
How many make claims?
How many follow through?
How many can you honestly say will be there for you in your time of need, if one was to arise?
You may be thinking that this is just a cynical view of society. Who knows, cynicism is really just born of experience. I guess if you had "acquaintances" instead on Facebook, it may not be the ingrained societal medium that it has become.
