I teach sociology at a community college, and every semester my students swear that social media has destroyed real friendships. But when I ask them how they actually maintain contact with friends who moved away, most admit they'd lose touch without Instagram or WhatsApp. Sure, the research on loneliness and screen time is concerning, but I've also seen study groups form in Discord servers and elderly relatives get daily video calls from grandkids. Is digital connection really less authentic than a phone call from 1995, or are we just romanticizing the past? I lean toward the latter—friendship has always adapted to whatever communication tools exist, and the core of it, mutual care and vulnerability, can happen in any medium. That said, I don't have a perfect answer, and I'm genuinely curious how others weigh the convenience against the sometimes hollow feeling of liking a post instead of having a real conversation.