MARK KARLIN, EDITOR OF BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT

Has everything become monetized in the gilded age of the internet, even friendship? (Photo: Christopher Paquette)

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Rafie Drencheva came to the United States to study for an MFA in documentary filmmaking at Northwestern University. Upon settling in, thousands of miles from Bulgaria where she was raised, she came across a website -- RentaFriend.com -- that soon became the topic of her required graduation documentary. It also became the source of, well, some friendships that extended beyond a monetary agreement.

I saw Drencheva's film, "Friends for Sale," at a screening recently and was struck by how even finding friends now has been monetized on the web. Although Drencheva hasn't released the short doc for general viewing yet (she is reserving it for film festivals at the moment), suffice it to say that it documents interactions with "friends for rent." These range from fees of $20 for baking cookies with an affable woman to $100 an hour for someone who provides nurturing cuddling. At one point, Drencheva -- who narrates the film -- exclaims that renting friends can cost as much as a Beyoncé concert.

What struck me as I watched the interactions between Drencheva and the friends she rented -- who all appeared earnest and comforting -- is what role technology has played in the creation of the rent-a-friend concept and site (which will no doubt be followed by a number of similar online endeavors). Is our increasing dependence on digital and mobile phone communication impeding our personal interactions with people? Or is the idea of renting a friend just another niche that already existed, that the internet is now technologically capable of fulfilling more readily? (Oftentimes, the assumption is made that "technology" has created a certain issue in society, when really, that issue was always with us; technology has just made it more widely visible.) The exchange of money for other people's time -- including for companionship -- is not a new concept.

So, is it true that the more we connect technologically, the less time we are spending meeting people in person and developing in-person friendships? Drencheva responded to BuzzFlash:

The supply for friendship services is growing. It is not just Rent-A-Friend, we have a lot of other websites that help us find friends. If there is so much supply, there also must be a demand. We have hundreds of Facebook friends, but not that many real ones. I believe that people are more estranged from one another than ever before. They go out together only to spend the night glued to their phones. We are all so consumed by our work and our own problems that we have forgotten about the other people in our lives. The danger isn't Rent-A-Friend per se, but rather what it symbolizes.

Still, Drencheva is grateful for connection-oriented technologies. For example, she is able to communicate through Skype with friends in Bulgaria:

Skype has enabled me to see my friends every day even thought I live 4937.7 miles away. Technology helps us to connect 24/7 with friends in other cities, states or countries. But technology also lead us to the existence of Rent-A-Friend. It is such a complex issue. I just wanted to raise this question with the film and start a discussion.

The rapid use of technology that can send messages, conversations, photos, videos, etc., around the world in a moment's time brings to mind the Marshall McLuhan expression, "The medium is the message." Does the exponentially growing use of digital communication begin to change our relationships because of the nature of the communicating vehicle -- personal back-and-forth, public messaging through sites such as Twitter and Instagram, etc.? Are many of our friendships changing shape because of the medium of interaction? Are they becoming less oriented toward personal interaction? Clearly, there is no uniform answer to these questions, but rather sociological trends to consider.

In 1969, Simon and Garfunkel wrote the classic song, "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" which included these lyrics about friendship:

When you're weary, feeling small

When tears are in your eyes,

I will dry them all

I'm on your side

When times get rough

And friends just can't be found.

In 2016, the solution may be to just rent a friend online.

Not to be reposted without permission of Truthout.