Are apps like Venmo putting a price tag on our friendships?

Clubs and going out every weekend aren’t my thing. But I do love hanging out with my friends or going house parties because they’re situations where I can enjoy the company of the people around me. Requesting music at a house party is also easier because you know who has the aux. And as a plus, the music won’t blow out your eardrums like the huge stereos in a club will. Overall, the conversations are genuinely interesting, too. But when the night is over, all of the drinks have been drunk and the conversations have been had, it’s time for the college ritual: Everyone takes out their phone and suddenly a flurry of notifications light up the host’s phone. This is the tamest and probably the most appropriate way to make the night easy for everyone. The host gets reimbursed and everyone enjoys their time at the party.

Venmo and Cash App along with similar apps are a small, but incredible, alteration to how we interact with each other socially. Before Venmo was popular, going out with friends involved everyone taking care of their own bill at a restaurant or one friend covering for the other if they forgot their wallet. But now everything that could cost someone money can be covered, like shared snacks from a corner store or a quick couple bucks for gas when a friend drives you somewhere. The opportunities to help each other out are as expansive as there are things to pay for.

The questions then begin: How much is too much when paying others back? How far can this exchange go between friends and others around you? Could a friend ask you for a couple of cents for the sticks of gum you always ask for, or maybe charge you for a whole pack if you’re constantly asking? If you keep asking your classmate for pens to use in class, what’s stopping them from asking for a nickel? The convenience of these apps poses a question about our morals and how we value spending time with each other.

This phenomenon is easy to spot on Twitter. If a person’s tweet strikes a particular nerve for the general population, that person suddenly surges in attention and exposure. This is followed by the “Dang, this tweet blew up” response, then further followed by the “Follow my Soundcloud/buy my art/donate to me just because I was funny enough.” And maybe it is worth sending them a dollar or two for making a joke that otherwise would’ve possibly never been shared. However, the precedent of making all our time and attention worth something monetarily is disheartening.

Using social media becomes less about connectivity and more about hoping for enough exposure to maybe bring something profitable your way. Our interactions with others become mere transactions of giving what someone wants for what you desire. Friendships are just mutual interactions of validation until you no longer care for someone’s attention and just stop talking. You begin to value people not based on an intrinsic level of care but on some extrinsic form of ego boosting.

It’s possible we have put too much value on what we get out of our daily connections and maybe we forget not everything in life is about earning or exchanging money. Really, what life is about is living well and with the people you care about. So remember to care for one another, and appreciate your interactions with others.

Daniel Gamboa is a UF journalism sophomore. His column appears on Fridays.