Shared experience and relatability are extremely important to me when forming a relationship.  Despite my overall success with online connection, I have also observed others who believe they have made a connection with another, but rather have a one-sided relationship, known as a parasocial relationship. These relationships are damaging to both sides, and social media can act as an enabler of sorts. Some may challenge my views by stating that those who fall prey to parasocial relationships are already too reliant on social media for socialization, making their fixation on their subject their fault. In response, I would assert that social media is designed to elicit a response from people in a way that appears like socialization, with some taking responses online or reactions to their content as a friendship. The way they might misconstrue an interaction leads to the development of these parasocial relationships. What a friendship is or what is considered a connection is different for everyone, being shaped by personal experiences; It is also important to recognize that there is a spectrum of social behavior, with some people being more or less inclined to be social. Without emphasis being heavily placed on these factors, I think Konnikova misses a major part of a detractor’s argument by presenting an incomplete picture of what social connection is like in the climate of today’s world.

*content that is highlighted is inserted Naysayer argument and response