DeepSummary
The episode discusses the rise of apps and events aimed at helping adults find new platonic friendships. Zosha Bielski, a national reporter for the Globe and Mail, explains how these tools borrow features from dating apps like swiping and matching, but are tailored for making friends instead of romantic connections. She describes various apps catering to different interests and life stages, as well as in-person events like speed dating for friends.
Bielski highlights the challenges of maintaining friendships as an adult, with careers, families, and other responsibilities often taking priority. The pandemic exacerbated isolation for many, leading to a purge of more casual acquaintances. However, research shows the importance of friendships for physical and mental health, providing different perspectives and support beyond a primary romantic relationship.
The episode explores differences in how men and women tend to form friendships, with women generally being more comfortable expressing vulnerability and using tools like friend-finding apps. Bielski also discusses the role of shared interests versus consistency in developing bonds, and the potential drawbacks of overly narrow interest-based connections. Ultimately, the tools aim to facilitate real-world meetups and lasting friendships.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Making friends as an adult is challenging due to increased responsibilities and a shrinking social circle.
- Apps and events aimed at facilitating platonic connections are gaining popularity, borrowing features from dating apps.
- Friendship apps cater to specific interests, life stages, or goals, but may promote overly narrow connections.
- In-person events like friend speed dating allow for serendipitous connections and deeper conversations.
- Maintaining friendships is important for physical and mental well-being, providing diverse perspectives and support.
- Women tend to be more comfortable expressing vulnerability and using friend-finding tools than men.
- Consistency and shared experiences may be more important than shared interests in forming bonds.
- The ultimate goal of these tools is facilitating real-world meetups and lasting friendships.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “So a lot of these apps sort of have echoes of dating apps where they're sort of taking the same infrastructure, but hopefully you're not picking friends based on their appearance, but, you know, sort of based on those common interests and whatever you've written that profile, hopefully it's honest.“ by Zosha Bielski
- “I would say that actually, post Covid, I've kind of been on this mission to find friends in adulthood, particularly female friendships. I just found that, you know, you would watch, like, sex in the city or like, shows on tv and like, everybody has their girl gang, and I just felt like I was missing that in life, honestly.“ by Shara Singh
- “Basically, from nothing came something that's awesome.“ by Zosha Bielski
Entities
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Episode Information
The Decibel
The Globe and Mail
6/24/24