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“Make Real Live Friends Here” DURING FAMILY WEEKEND, DEAN OF STUDENTS BROCK DUNN P’19 GAVE A REMARKABLE ADDRESS ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INTERNET FRIENDS AND REAL FRIENDS. HIS TALK IS EXCERPTED HERE.
Hannah Jones ’13 and Kevin Kirby P’13
Darcy Hughes ’14 and her mother
Here’s the problem with the Internet. No. Scratch that. We’ll be here all day. Here’s a problem with the Internet. Friends. Facebook friends. Twitter followers. Instasomethingorother fans. Google plus pals. LinkedIn? What the heck is LinkedIn? When I was a kid, linked in was how you kept angry dogs in the back yard. Cyberfriends? I know people who claim to have hundreds and hundreds of electronic friends and followers. Really? Is your mom’s cousin in Cleveland actually a FRIEND? Are Internet friends even real? Let’s face it, there is not a person in this room who believes Snooki has two million friends. Are any of the people on those lists really friends? The people who “like” you on the Internet? Will they be there when you REALLY need them? When you’re really in a jam? When you really need some help? Some advice? Some love? You know, when you’re in jail, you get a phone call . . . not a tweet. You all have an opportunity to make some real friends here. Every moment of every day a new opportunity presents itself. Ask the adults in the room about their best friends, and they’ll tell you they met them in high school. I sure did. Mine was and is a guy named Bull. He’s been my best friend since the day I met him, which as it turns out was in high school. My children hang out with his. Our wives are friends. Our families spend holidays together. The last time I actually gave a speech was as the best man at his wedding. Friendship! Real friends. Not some prince from some far away land who will send you gold bricks when you send along your mom’s credit card info. Let’s get the media out of social and just be social. Old school friending. Start with a “hello.” It’s like a poke . . . only in person. Reach out. Take a chance. You could make a friend for life. The Monica to your Rachel. The Thelma to your Louise. A recent Mayo Clinic report on friendship points out that social networking relationships don’t translate into larger offline networks or closer offline relationships. So turn off your laptops. Log out of your iPad. Mute your iPhone17. And friend someone in person. Make real live friends here.
Father and daughter strolling through campus
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