“Is social networking changing the way people relate to each other?” I personally have been on the phone with a colleague, while instant messaging two others and readin my email. Does this make me more in touch with the world, or less invested in each individual interaction. On Campushopper, I have at least 20 “friends” I’ve never met (and probably never will) Most kids on MySpace have 10 to 20 friends they have no actual relationship with. The technology itself offers ways to stay in touch with those who we wish we could see more often (friends and family) or form friendships with peoplle we’d never meet otherwise (like penpals). In reality, adding someone as a “friend” on a social networking site amounts to, “your profile looked interesting”, or “I’m flattered you noticed my profile One benefit can be enhanced self esteem fo people who have few friends offline. I have 45 friends on MySpace sounds better than I have few or no friends at work or school.