The number of friends people have and types of friendship do not seem to have changed much over this century. Similar patterns of relationship to those today were evident in 1939; weak relationships were more common than friendships, and people had an average of 13 good friends - similar to today. Interestingly, even in one block of apartments, people said that they knew only an average of two-thirds by name and most not to speak to.
A key feature of the closeness of a friendship is the frequency of contact, and as friendship develops, we get to know more about each other. This is the story of email for many. Two people known to one of the authors got to know each other entirely by email. Then one day the friends (for so they thought of each other by this stage) had a chance to meet, and they arranged an overnight stay. The wife of the host was happy enough at the arrangement, but was a little concerned: how well did they really know each other? How would it turn out? It all went fine, but the relationship they had after they had met was different from the relationship through email, for then they knew each other in more 'dimensions' of their lives. Far from the fear suggested in science fiction, it seems that email has become one more method for building and maintaining relationships.
It is possible that some friendships may form and others may decline because
of cyberspace. One could wrongly conclude from this experience that somehow
cyberspace is changing the nature of friendship, but rather it is that people
can now choose from a much wider range of options about how to initiate and
maintain friendship.