Are friends just a form of casual entertainment?

This is also not a healthy response.

You're really good at invalidating people's experiences. You'd enjoy being a therapist .

I have heard teens use them all the time and it just seems like such a terrible form of communication. I think I would rather an email.

I'm begining to understand your frustrations with friends.

This friend is someone I spent constant time with, someone whom I emotionally carried through his divorce; so I thought we were real friends.

Just saying it's not easy to distinguish because sometimes there is a form of emotional intimacy that makes you feel connected and then you find out that it's just one-way.

I'd say helpfulness, responsiveness and being friends are three different things, that can be overlapping or not.

I know some people who always respond and keep the conversation alive even though we're not friends, and i can be ghosted for days by close friends, who i lived intense things with.

I know some people who helped me moving out even though we were just accointances, and i have friends who are lazy enough to avoid this, but i live spending time with them anyway.

These are very fluid for me, so i'd say to avoid worrying, it's best to not expect a lot from people, and/or to try to find friends that seem to match your needs

I think this is true, it's not a continunum but a mixed bag. Like the friend that left on my read would probably make an effort to help me move; guess what I really value is responsiveness.

You also lack accountability; you must already be licensed.

I'd say distraction rather than entertainment.

Audios fill a space between texts & phone call because you can't get a lot of information in and they can listen at their convenience; they can be abused though.

I actually re-recorded this particular audio to be more concise. 2 minutes I think, listenable in 1 at 2x.

Your scenario of why it wasn't listened too makes sense, tho.

What you're describing i snot friendship. Friendship is a rare thing, like love is rare. What you're describing is just people you know and enjoy spending time with. Which is fine, btw, it is just not friendship

In the de-personalized age of the internet, it does seem like a lot of people are behaving that way. But I would say that this is the difference between friends and acquaintances.

I grew up before the internet became ubiquitous, and friends were far more integral to one's social life.

Friendship is rarer than love for I've had many more long-term girlfriends than true friends. Unfortunately, being a romantic partner seems to be the only way to be a priority in anyone's life.

Bowling Alone, published in 2000, was already noting significant social rot. And lots of people are reporting that they have literally zero reliable friends.

There's an old joke: Friends help you move. Real friends help you move the body.

Friendship comes in many different forms and at many different levels. There's nothing wrong with having casual friends who you see primarily to have a good time, but that is not all there is. More serious friendships involve mutual support as well as shared interests.