Everyone, it seems, has a ‘ghost-friend’ on the social media; the shy type who lurks behind an ‘Anonymous member’ profile to pose a silly, or, for that matter, even profound question (for you never know how readers might judge you), with a cheeky ‘asking for a friend’ tagline.

This friend is omnipresent, just like the wide wild web world. 

The ‘ghost-friend’ is a convenient crutch, whether you are trying to sell an unwanted gift (also anonymously), or feeling indulgent with an emotional ‘pre-loved’ caption – because ‘second-hand’ simply has a commoner vibe about it. It is just so much easier to begin the sales pitch with ‘Asking/posting for a friend.’ 

This notional friend can take all the backlash from those group members who have oodles of time to dissect the whys and hows of your post. Not surprisingly, the more mundane the question or the request, the more vivid the dissection. And with an ‘anonymous’ handle option, the pros often outweigh the cons, unless of course, someone reads between the lines and figures it’s you.

And so, within the many online communities and designated groups for every topic under the sun – statistics reveal that 50-percent of Facebook users belong to five or more groups – you will find people ‘asking for a friend’ if it is acceptable to doze off during a boring meeting, or eat cereal with water, or some such strange or relatable query.

So then, I am asking for a friend, who is a new gardener: Is it true that ‘money plants’ grow better if it is stolen from another’s garden?

On a stealthier note, this friend, who is on a diet, wants to know if it is okay to sleep during the intermittent fasting period. This friend also wants to know how to tell a neighbour that they have body odour and the elevator reeks every time they step in.

On a more curious – albeit personal – note, a friend wants to know if she should announce the launch of her book, under a pen name, on social media platforms.