Social Media And Its Impact On Society - 1326 Words

As human beings, it is in our nature to surround ourselves with other people. We are constantly trying to broaden the circumference of our circle of friends. One of the most common ways we do this today is through social media, such as Facebook. Facebook is used as a popularity contest, where we add people just too have more friends on the list than our neighbor. However, true friends are not usually acquired on Facebook. According to the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle believes that a real friendship is for its own sake and Facebook friendship concentrate much on amusement and utility. Most people that have a Facebook account have approximately more than 100 friends. Each of those people has a particular relation to each other in one way or†¦show more content†¦If one is not careful, these systems could make contact superficial. Facebook friendship seems to be there for utility, and not for friendship itself. All these virtual contacts are never there to help during times of emotional upheaval and self-doubt. In his Nicomachean Ethics, Book VIII, Aristotle claims that there are three types of friendship: friendships of utility, friendship for pleasure or enjoyment and lastly, friendship for its own sake (274). According to Aristotle, friendships of utility are when you relate to a person as long as that person serves a purpose. When that person stops serving a purpose you have no reason to stay in contact with them. For example, perhaps you are friendly with your coworker because he/she always covers for you when you do not show up for work. Friendship for pleasure, on the other hand, is when you connect with someone because you have similar interest. You seek each other’s company because you get some entertainment from one another. If that starts to dry out, you are likely to distant yourselves. For example, all of the comments, well-wishes and like we can get from our numerous Facebook friends may give us pleasure. However, something feels false about this. Aristotle claims, â₠¬Å"Those who love for the sake of pleasure do so for the sake of what is pleasant to them, and not insofar as the other is the person loved† (284). Only a small number of