By Amie Yansane
In 2020, the lives of millions of people were forever changed with orders to quarantine from the public in efforts to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2, better known as COVID-19. During quarantine, people had little physical contact with the public, including family members, friends, and coworkers. As a result of this social isolation that was imposed by many people, they were left to their own devices. Literally.Â
During the pandemic, many age groups were left with no other form of interaction besides digital interaction. The video-making platform, TikTok, peaked during the early 2020s, serving as a form of connection between people everywhere. Other social media platforms, such as Instagram and Twitter, allowed people to forge dozens of connections that ranged from within their area to outside of their continent.Â
Although these platforms have served their users well, they have effectively disconnected them from real life.Â
Recently, there have been debates about what people describe as the “friendship crisis” among Generation Z and how the effort put into friendships has dissipated. As a member of Gen Z, it’s hard to say this is true, considering how experiences range from person to person, especially based on area, personal niche, and age. However, I have noticed a trend that alludes to the impending “friendship crisis”.Â
In the past four or so years, I have interacted with several forms and types of content, primarily on TikTok. While scrolling, I’ll come across a video giving advice, specifically to developing young girls who may have questions regarding how to handle friendship. If not an advice video, it promotes a general idea: why you should cut your friends off.Â
It’s quite easy to fall into this idea and blindly agree with it. Many people in Generation Z have had limited connections with people over two or three years, so they haven’t thought of how the idea of having friends benefits them.Â
The best reeling point is how cutting people off is essentially self-care, although in some cases, these content creators don’t mention any toxic traits that this “friend” may have. Lately, the justification for cutting people off has been the lack of service, better yet, people “not bringing anything to the table”.Â
As someone who has seen a multitude of these videos defending the act of “cutting people off”, I can’t help but believe this is a self-centered view to justifying seeing people as assets, servants rather than people.Â
Friends are not assets that are only meant to serve us. Friends are meant to make connections with. Sure, they are there to take you to the airport and give you the last piece of their gum, but service is not their sole purpose. They don’t have to bring anything else to the table but their love and support as companions and confidants.Â
A friendship can take you a long way and teach you many things you didn’t know about yourself. If I had met my friends at Towson, who are my soon-to-be roommates, I wouldn’t have discovered half of the girl I am right now. I wouldn’t have had the confidence, nor the audacity, to pursue things I do today. I wouldn’t have known how much love resides in platonic relationships than the way I do now, and I thank them for that.Â
If I had fallen victim to the mentality of aimlessly cutting people off, seemingly for my personal growth, I wouldn’t be writing this. My village has sustained and supported my growth, and that’s why I prioritize it and give back to it as much as possible. Continue to build, tend, and care for your village instead of dismantling it.