What are ‘friendship snacks’? How memes, voice memos, and more are maintaining friendships in the di
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Maintaining an adult friendship in the digital era requires what researchers call ‘friendship snacks’.
By Olivia Hebert
Researchers have found that adult friendships are often maintained through ‘friendship snacks’.
With busy schedules often making it harder to spend quality time with friends as an adult, sending quick how-are-you texts, adorable animal videos, or memes can be a simple way for friends to maintain their relationships. Even if these interactions tend to ultimately be unsatisfying, they’re not meant to meet the complete needs of a friendship, and instead act as a stopgap for when plans will ultimately be made for a call or hangout.
Assistant professor Natalie Pennington – who studies communication studies at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, specifically how we connect with our friends – explained to the Wall Street Journal that these bite-size social interactions can nourish our friendships.
‘A healthy friendship snack is nourishing,’ Pennington noted. ‘It’s ...
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