People seem to have more plastic friends than there have been plastic World Cup fans this year and that says a lot about how much we truly value friendship.

Not to sound like an outdated aunty hating on millennials but social media really has made friendship a lot more impersonal. You don't need to put much effort into keeping friendships. Everyone is a click away so allotting a bit of time to a large number of people is now an easier task. This may or may not be related to the fact that more and more people are choosing to maintain "friendships" with people they're not particularly fond of.

"Quantity over quality" has sort of become the status quo. The number of likes you get or the number of followers you have gives you a fake sense of validation. But is the popularity worth all the unnecessary drama that ensues when your "friend" starts acting not so friendly?

If there's an internet fight going on, people will read all 259 comments no matter how irrelevant the fight is to them. But you'll notice that the people fighting are usually already friends on social media or maybe even are friends in real life. The clash of opinions and the complete lack of empathy sometimes make me wonder, "How are they even friends? More importantly, WHY?"

You might argue that one should socialise with all types of people since that allows growth. However, continuing to socialise with someone who has repeatedly given you reasons not to, is not healthy. There are boundaries that must be kept.

The saying, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer" is just that, a saying. In reality, when you let someone into your life, you give them some form of power over you. They can, at any point, use what knowledge they have on you, against you. They can twist your words and spread rumours about you that people will believe because you two are "friends." They can take any opportunity to sabotage you.

I'm not saying that people should give each other the silent treatment for any petty issue they might have with each other, but there's a fine line between being polite and being fake. You can be polite and still maintain a distance from people you wouldn't want as friends. You don't have to shower everyone with "ILYSM U THE BEST <333" just to keep up the reputation of being "nice." You might feel the need to please everyone and, as adults, you actually might need to please your employer, but that doesn't mean you need to put on an act in front of every person you know.

Real friends are rare and so cherish them. Spend more time with them instead of watering dead plants by maintaining fake friendships. In an ideal world, these people should be the cacti you overwater.

Mayabee Arannya is a confused soul still searching for a purpose. Give her advice on life at facebook.com/mayabee.arannya