Our society classifies advancements in technology as progress. Yes, we are able to virtually connect quicker and easier than ever before, but are we undermining the value of real human relationships? This controversial topic is in its prime state due to social-networking websites being relatively new with little known facts of its long-term effects on human interaction. The benefits of technology may very well outweigh the consequences, but we must explore what effects this virtual world has on our friendships, privacy, authenticity, community and identity, in order to come to a valid conclusion. What is the purpose of social networking? I’ve realized that the answer to that question has changed over time. When Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook, his intention was to connect fellow college students to one another and enhance real relationships such as connecting one to a long lost childhood friend. Now, it seems as though social networking sites, such as Facebook, have become a substitute for friendships and relationships. According to psychologists, the human brain can only sustain about one hundred and fifty relationships. With that being said, there’s no way the average person knows all one thousand of their Facebook friends. In Christine Rosen’s article on social networking, “Virtual Friendship and the new Narcissism”, she makes a valid point that that “friendship depends on mutual revelations that are concealed from the rest of the world, it can only flourish from within the boundaries of privacy, the idea of a public friendship is an oxymoron.” Rather than building friendships, social networks revolve around building a brand, that brand being you. It is apparent that we are moving into a common theme of narcissism and attention seeking amongst social networkers. “In investing so much energy into improving how we present ourselves online, are we missing chances to genuinely improve ourselves?” (Turkle) Photos, vi