Making friends in our modern society today is easy: all you need to do is follow a few steps. First, select a random person from your favorite coffee shop. The best candidates would be a regular that goes to that coffee shop daily rather than a truck driver from Alaska that you will never see again. This is the most important part because you can waste time during this step while choosing between an old lady or a 5-year-old boy. Next, determine by their voice, style and height if they could be your best friend or a person who checks their texts every five years. This will allow you to decide your compatibility with that person, avoiding any future marriages that end up in divorce over a butt-dialed call. Then, if you are sure you and that person will get along, then start a conversation. Keep it natural by not smiling like a happy dentist and begin a conversation with a friendly hi. Some great icebreakers in a coffee shop could be, “How’s your coffee?” or “Have you noticed the pimple on your face?” Socialize with the person and tell a funny story. Then, make it a routine to go to the coffee shop everyday in your busy life of watching Netflix. If everything works out, then your “friend” may consider you as an amicable human and add you on all of his/her social media accounts.

And that’s how to make friends with people in our century today.

But in all seriousness, friendships aren’t as strong as they used to be. The definition for “friends” is vague, ranging from strangers chatting on Omegle to best friends since kindergarten. I think that this is a big problem. Back then, kids would spend the long hours of their summers with their friends and family, instead of watching TV. Socializing is one of the reasons we are humans, one of the reasons mankind has evolved so quickly. But the importance of interactions with others is slowly fading due to phone, social media and technology. However, strong relationships or social skills are the key to success. Friends lend a helping hand in times of need and make our life easier. They can offer a meal, explanations for homework or help someone deal with their feelings in times of crisis. It’s better to be facing the world with people rather than a piece of entertaining technology. Besides, it’s important to laugh, argue and cry with people that you know will support you. Making friends might be an easy task, but keeping friendships is something much greater, helping us get through the challenges of life with a person cheering us on.