I've noticed there seems to be a lot of rather desperate friendship mania on the internet.

I'm quite cynical about friends, once they think they own you they always start to take you for granted or abuse you. I am sorry you have such a
pessimistic opinion about friends...wow, ouch! Huge things like facebook with people displaying their "friends" for all the world to see and compare with others, like American high school, how Peter Pan, insecure and narcissistic. I am niether insecure (about my friends), nor am I narcissistic. I either personally know, am family with, went to high school with, or was in the military with, every one of the people I have listed as friends. And my best friend, who lives in CA, and I in the United Kingdom...hrrm...seems to me you didn't really think this out. It makes it much easier to be able to stay in contact with all my friends.

Perhaps people have gone nutty about cyber-friends because their real ones are so hideous or non-existent. There are some out there who can't leave the house, either disabled physcially or mentally...either way, it's a good way to communicate with people if you can't "get out".

If friendship shouldn't be abandoned in favor of a more mature sense of membership in something greater like humanity, at the very least some genius needs to write an "Art of Friendship" as most people seem to have them confused with enemies. LOL, really, there is no reason to be so cynical, sounds to me like you have been hurt, either from Internet, or IRL friends, maybe therapy would help that, I'm not being mean, but something's up.

(Part of my problem is probably that I get on too well with my (very nice) family).

Comments? I know someone is going to say I need therapy, probably true maybe you do too!