What is a friend?

[mcfnord]

stubbs is working on an academic analysis of "friends" within LJ. His work explores what happens when people's definitions of "friend" differ. He prepared a list of different definitions for lj friend

Comments

[triptrashbang]

LJ should keep the word friends. It's the easiest word to use, and the people getting caught up in the semantics need to relax just a bit. I think it's stupid to get all worked up over something that you have no control over (who friends you).

I disagree that LJ should keep the word "friends" to describe access. That makes it very abstract indeed. Words have value, meaning. If they didn't, there would be no need for the written language, would there? ;-)

SEX, VIOLENCE, RAPE, PENIS, LARGE, RED, FRIENDS.

I've just put seven different images in your head, linked together to produce an interpretation. Depending on who you are, they *will* take position in your mind. That they effect you or not is irrelevant. The power of the written word should never be underestimated; perhaps that's why the term "metaphor" exists at all, I believe. :-)

Associates

[wave]

Well, it all gets back to associations, doesn't it? These are persons with whom you are associated for one or more purposes which can include any of the subtypes you list

[triptrashbang]

There are an infinite number of ways to categorize how relationships are formed within surface networking