Month: February 2005

CHICAGO MAROON — Feb 4 — Friendster has either changed our mentality about social relationships or simply brought that mentality further out into the open. Hey, sure…maybe you like someone. But let’s get to the point: You want to meet people. And this person—friend, passing acquaintance, whatever—is a stepping-stone to that. And look: I have 362 friends on my page! All these little pictures I’ve accumulated give me self-worth—and help me network! Of course, Friendster doesn’t merit all the responsibility for cheapening the connotation of the word “friend.”

Mark Brooks: Friendster has mechanised human networking so some abuse is natural. The integrity/quality of a persons Friendster network can be judged by the testimonials and is inversely proportional to how many people over 100 friends they have. Just how many ‘ really good’ friends can one have. Probably a dozen, max.

HONOLULU ADVERTISER — Feb 3 — There are 86 million unmarried adults in the United States, a fast-growing group of people who often find themselves singled out in a society designed for two. Despite holding more than 40% of the nation’s jobs, singles often feel they have a lot stacked against them — higher taxes, higher insurance premiums, working more holidays and fewer benefits for their partners. "What’s going on with all these TV shows is the glorification of couplehood," DePaulo says. "And it’s reached a fever pitch at exactly the time when marriage is less and less necessary in many people’s lives." One of the reasons for the rising number of singles is more couples are living together before marriage — 50%, University of Michigan researcher Pamela Smock says. These days, half of all births occur in homes where the parents are not married. 90% of American adults will be married at some point in their lives. But many will end in divorce. The average American adult who lives to age 70 will spend more of his or her adult life single than married. FULL ARTICLE @ HONOLULU ADVERTISER