Are You Really My Friend?
December 9, 2017
Andrew Parker

Top Stories

Let's Talk About Cricket
Claire Miles Jul, 24
What are Sports to Society?
Keith Donnelly Jul, 22
Military Culture
Rebecca Rodriguez Jul, 20
How to Make Shepherd’s Pie
Penelope Trent Jul, 18
A Look at the NHL's Player Development System
Rachel Jones Jul, 16
Literature and Us
Rachel Jones Jul, 12
Fast Food and its Impact
Alexandra Wade Jul, 10
Hair Types
Alexandra Wade Jul, 08
Different Sports and Where They Are Played
Andrew Parker Jul, 06
Denman Brushes
Rachel Jones Jul, 04

Have you ever glanced over at the number of friends you have on Facebook and asked yourself how you can possibly have so many friends, and how many of these people are actually your real life friends?  Tanja Hollander sure did at least.

On New Year’s Eve of 2010, after chatting with an online friend, she started to question which of her friends were merely online friends, and if they were as genuine as her offline friends.

After considering these thoughts for awhile, the artist sought out to visit all 626 of her Facebook friends in order to find out.  The endeavour took her an entire 5 years. She documented her journey in a project which she entitled Are You Really My Friend? 

She financed her legendary art project by crowdfunding on Kickstarter. The documentary consists of Tanja throughout her 5 year journey across the globe to meet all of her friends.  She really had no idea what to expect.

Her game plan was more or less straightforward, with the intention of going to visit each person individually and spend time with them, as well as photograph with them for the project.

She actually managed to visit every single person on both her Facebook and Instagram accounts, and document the encounters. Her journey ended after having visited over four hundred homes, four continents, twelve countries, and forty-three American states.

But what is most significant here and that she got what she wanted.  After searching and searching, she concludes that there is no difference between offline and online friends. It’s become such an internal part of us, that seeing people on a daily basis does not mean we are any closer with them. Social media, she claims is merely another communication method.

Her project proved to be a highly effective method to create for a intimate connection between people that would otherwise only exist in a virtual world.  The artist also expresses that taking pictures of her friends in their homes brought them closer together.

Hollander explains how some friends are more important at certain points in our lives, and that should be acceptable.

You may also like
Facts About the Galapagos
Most nature lovers who embark on wildlife holidays in Galapagos are familiar with the archipelago's most iconic wildlife species, which include the Giant Tortoise, the Lava Lizard, the Marine Iguana, the Galapagos Sea Lion, and the Blue-Footed Booby. But while the wildlife has been studied and documented extensively, there are also some lesser-known facts about these wonderfully unique species. For anyone planning wildlife holidays in the Galapagos, knowing a few of these before the trip may add
Read More
Top Producers in the Industry
You may not realize it but the music industry is really bit. So much so that it is worth more than twenty billion dollars. That’s right, more than twenty billion dollars. It is easy to see how many musicians are actually some of the richest people in the world. With that said, even though the musician is the star, there are actually a lot of people who work behind the scenes to bring you the music you love. A musician doesn’t do all the work themselves. Instead, they have a team of people wh
Read More
Different Potato Dishes
Whenever you are strapped for cash, cooking seems like the most challenging thing to do. It is especially difficult if you don’t have much time or ingredients. So you will be pleased to know that if you have a few potatoes, you can actually make a number of different dishes. That’s right, now you won’t only need potatoes but they are the star of the dish. You should also know that potatoes are carbohydrates. This means that you will actually get full really quickly. You will also stay full
Read More
Does Denim on Denim Look Good?
Although it might not seem like it men's fashion has come a long way. So much so that there are now fashion lines solely dedicated to men. With that said, you may find yourself having a few fashion issues from time to time. Don’t worry, this is completely normal. Everyone struggles with fashion every now and again. However, you should know that you aren’t alone and that there is in fact a few tips that could help you out. With that said, we are here to give you a few fashion tips on wearing
Read More
Desserts You Can Make in the Microwave
Everyone has their favorite desserts. This is why bakeries do so well. However, you may not always have the time to run down to the bakery when you have a craving. Now you may think that you can simply make something at home and well you can. However, sometimes you don’t want a big portion of dessert so making too much of it will simply seem like wasting. So where does this leave you? Well, you can still get your sweet craving taken care of by making a dessert in the microwave. Yes, that’s r
Read More