FRIENDS has been one of my favorite shows since forever and considering that I am rewatcing it for like a 15th time this week, I had some time to think about the idea of the show some more. And yes I know about those theories of how the show is actually controversial but I just do not want to overanalyze things - I watched it as a kid with a non-prejudiced mind, and I loved it, that’s it for me so I’ll just go on. In short that’s a show about the lives and experiences of some friends in their 20s who live in NYC, good things, bad things, weird things, always together. I think the main plot theme is connection and togetherness and I think that’s what has made millions of people across the world love the show.

As someone who is writing this in an online blog while havin digital marketing as their job, believe me I am one of the people rooting for best use of all digital tools and advanced technologies, but from a human point of view I do realize that there are some troubles it may cause us as well. Given all the things and opportunities it gives us…is there something it actually robs us from?

Looking at FRIENDS, they spend so much time together sharing moments that we nowadays often share via apps and texts. I’m not talking about the moments when we are apart and can only contact through the internet, instead I’m talking about the moments when we are close but actually feel far away and detached. How many times have you seen friends or even a couple sitting together at a café but each one is on their phone probs smiling at somebody else’s joke?

Of course I have checked my phone at a café or during dinner, probably we all have at some occasion - but imagine it one day becomes the default and that’s how we always are. Scary isn’t it? To never be present.

Ironically, there are so many apps that aim to help us be more present and mindfull. I guess that’s why I (as well as many other people -as I found out via a simple Google search) feel that there is something special about the exact period 90s-00s when the action in the FRIENDS series takes place and that transfered to nowadays it would never be the same. This was true even in 2014 and Business Insider wrote about it, then in 2016 Cosmopolitan wrote about it and then Buzzfeed gave their opinion as of 2018 (this article is my personal fave), so you get the point here.

It’d be interesting to take a look at more recent series that also make sure to keep the focus on real life communication rather than online. Take The Big Ban theory as an example, where the main characters love computer games and often play but once again it’s clearly visible that their lives don’t revolve around this.

Considering that FRIENDS will have a reunion soon, we’ll see how things will go in the 20s pace. But the characters will already be older. I guess it’ll be fun but yet I am really curious about what would it be like to see the young FRIENDS living in 2020?

Would Rachel be Instafamous? Would Phoebe rock Tumblr? Would Joey have a Tinder? Cause I bet Monica would love productivity apps. And how about Chandler and Ross?

Now in this quarantine period we realize how much we miss hanging out and being with our favorite people and I think it’s good to use this revelation together with the time for thinking things through and literally anything else at hand (for me it was FRIENDS) to think about what we are missing in our daily routine, what we probably forget, underestimate or not appreciate.

I believe that we will be thrilled to dive into social situations right after the social isolaton is over and I think this is how we shall always be.

- Nicole