Are Facebook friends for real?

One of the most common criticisms of social media – among those who don’t actually use Facebook or Twitter – is to doubt whether virtual friendships are real. I’ve been actively involved in online communities for 20 years, as both participant and builder, and I know that online relationships can be just as tangible as those involving physical contact. There’s no such thing as a “virtual” friend, because it’s the friendship itself, rather than the platform via which it’s conducted, that grants it validity.