Everyday, students are on their phones, texting friends and scrolling through the newest posts on social media.
Social media allows people to communicate with others from all over the world on their devices, whether it is via Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook.
In some cases, online friendships can be made with people who live thousands of miles away from each other. Marcus Dubin (12) has an online friend from South Dakota that he has never met in person.
“It brings more friends into my life and people that I can trust,” Dubin said.
Dubin believes that trust plays a huge role in friendships, especially if someone is talking to another that they have never met before. Students, like Dubin, see that having an online friendship can help someone if they are struggling to find a person to talk to about their issues or any personal information.
Social media isn’t always used for meeting new people; sometimes it is used for contacting old friends that people like to stay in touch with.
Maryanna Teelucksingh (10) is a part of the fine arts program, choir, and orchestra, and she said that she has met most of her new friends through music.
“The way I use social media is to stay in contact with people who don’t go to the school,” Teelucksingh said.
Not all students have friends they have met through social media, like Teelucksingh. Instead, she believes that friends can be made in an environment where everyone can be themselves.
Jan Sancho, career and technical education teacher, is in her third year of teaching at VHHS. She says that most of the people she has become friends with recently were made through her job as a teacher.
Sancho doesn’t have a strong opinion about meeting people online, mainly because she has never had the experience. She wants anyone who makes friends online, including her students, to be safe.
“They share more when they don’t see someone in person or have that contact face-to-face interaction,” Sancho said. “You want to be careful, and sometimes people get way too comfortable sharing things online that could lead to some dangers”
Sancho wants all of her students to have a close bond with another person, but she recommends that students should meet others in the environments where they feel most comfortable.
“My advice is honestly just putting yourself out there, ” Sancho said.
If someone struggles with talking to people in person, Dubin recommends being authentic.
“Be yourself, and don’t try and fake your personality… cause you want people to meet the real you and not the fake you,” Dubin said.