We live in a time of constant communication.
No matter where in the world our friends are, or how long it's been since we've seen them, as long as they stay on social media, we never have to lose touch.
But is social media strengthening friendships or making them shallower?
According to anthropologist Robin Dunbar, the highest number of people you can maintain a meaningful relationship with at one time how social you are.
And many of us have a lot more social media connections than that.
Friendship researcher William Rawlins divides friendships into three categories: active, dormant, and commemorative.
A friendship is active if you're regularly in touch with that person, if you feel you can call on them for emotional support, and if you pretty much know what's going on with their lives.
A dormant friend is someone you have history with, but whom you haven't spoken to in a while.
But if you were in the same town as them, you'd definitely hit them up, and it wouldn't be weird.
And then, a commemorative friend is someone who was important to you at an earlier time in your life, but you don't really expect to see or hear from them, maybe ever again.
