[tjpaudio]

I'll counter: There have been quite a few instances of FB friends like this in my life. I rarely deny a friend request or go on deleting sprees. If I meet someone doing interesting things, I'll be the requestor even. What happens occasionally is I find out someone I spoke with in person for only a few minutes, reveals over weeks, months, or even years, has very similar interests, humor style, etc. Comments on each other's post increase in frequency, until the fake friend becomes a real one after reaching out via a message that doesn't really come off as odd at all at this point. Who I do find myself unfriending is those I dated briefly that inevitably get married and have kids. Good for them, but time to disconnect. As I grow older, I realize more friends are a function of convenience. Your "real friends" will go on to do things in their life that distance them from you, and seem less like real friends, and your "fake friends" will become real friends when it seems logical. This ebb and flow may seem ugly to some, that would prefer to view all their friends as genuine stakeholders in their life with unwavering caring, and some of that does happen, but there is beauty in friendships being temporal as well.

[salehhamadeh]

The friendship with Albert is a shallow one that the main character is not interested in. The "friends" you are referring to are people you admire but do not know well. I definitely have some of those friends, some who are a source of inspiration for me. With these people, it's easier to enhance the friendship over social media than in person. For example, people who are into painting or photography upload their work online. Viewing, liking, and discussing their art would teach me more about them than talking in person.

I like your idea of "real friends" VS temporal friends. One problem with only having "real friends" is that people get hung up on them, and if circumstances separate them they'd have a harder time acclimating with the change.