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I’m James Avramenko and I’m on a mission to lose every friend I’ve ever made.
It struck me recently that I have been on Facebook longer than any other daily behaviour in my life. With the exception of, you know, eating and all that. But take away basic survival routines and next on the list is refreshing my Facebook feed an ungodly amount of times per day.
I don’t know about you but I find that absolutely wild.
In that same time as I’ve moved around the country, growing and losing friendships, I’ve come to both depend on and revile social media. I feel both chained to it but also completely disconnected from the various platforms we’re all expected to be socializing masters of.
So I’ve begun an experiment. Every week I’m interviewing someone on my Facebook friend list. I give them a set of three questions beforehand and then ask that they think of three questions of their own. Mine are:
- How do you define friendship?
- What is the most vivid memory of our friendship?
- What does it take to be a good friend?
Their questions can be on any topic they choose. We chat for an hour, working through our history and the question set. At the end of the interview we unfriend from Facebook and decide how (or if) we’ll stay in touch in the future.
Friendless is a fun, tongue in cheek exploration of friendship, relationships and connection in the era of social media. So come along with me, your pal James, as I try to become Friendless.
This week I unfriend Dave Smith, a scenic painter, set designer and all-around production whiz.
We talk about band vs theatre in high school, black box theatres, teaching university during the pandemic, maintaining long-distance friendships, and the best breakfast.
Don’t forget to sign up for the Friendless Newsletter HERE just scroll down and fill out the little box!
