Most of us have seen commercials for online dating sites, but how about websites that allow you to rent a friend? There are now multiple countries that now offer such services on the internet. The name of one of these friendship sites is Rentafriend. On Rentafriend, anybody can "become a friend and advertise your social services on the site, anyone wanting to rent a friend must pay $24.95 a month...to become a member." Aside from those fees, some "friends" will charge hourly rates or may only require that the person who sought them out on the website pay for the costs of their activities, such as dinner, a movie, etc. Along with just providing companionship, individuals on friendship sites may also offer to do chores or tasks, acting as an assistant or housekeeper.
I think this is a bizarre idea, but at the same time, I don't know whether it can be defined as a completely bad idea in my opinion. On one hand, I don't know if friendship can be built on paying someone for companionship. On the other hand, what started as compensated time could evolve into true friendship, which is nice. Like anything where strangers are meeting each other, I think people need to be careful of where they meet. It would always be safest to meet for the first few times in very public places. It will be interesting to see what becomes of these friendship sites...
Source: BBC News - "Is a rented friend a real friend?"
Picture Source
I completely agree with you Theresa. What a weird thing! I think that yes, over time the people could become friends, but in the beginning it's not going to be a instantaneous thing. Also, this could kind of be a scam in a way. Lots of people could go on these sites to be friends with people only for the money- they could have no desire to hang out with or help people at all, they may just be in it for money. I also agree that people using these must be careful and aware of what's going on. These could become popular sites for creeps and just all around bad people.
ReplyDelete