My high school friends and I with three members of the Dinner Detective cast in Lincoln.

This past weekend, my high school girlfriends and I went on another fun adventure. This time it was a murder mystery dinner in Lincoln, which was a lot of fun!

Being a detail-oriented reporter, I honestly thought I would have a leg up on the rest of the guests. I was wrong. Not only did I not solve the crime, I was also convinced that my friend was completely off base when she presented her theory of whodunnit. Turns out my friend, the nurse, had it all figured out.

Once again, we had a great time together, and one of our party was even an official “suspect”. We met up prior to the dinner event and cheered on the Husker volleyball team in the pub, just as we used to cheer on our beloved Loup City Red Raiders nearly 50 years ago.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to reconnect with my old friends. My high school bestie spent 35 years living in Wales, and we hadn't seen each other in decades and had completely fallen out of touch. It was social media that put us all back in contact with one another, and for that I am grateful.

Reconnecting with old friends and keeping up with distant family members is one positive thing to come out of the social media world. However, we don’t just rely on our digital interactions to maintain our friendships - we actually enjoy human-to-human contact. That is essential to establishing and keeping healthy relationships.

We now live in a world that creates fake people so realistic that some are engaging in “relationships” with computers rather than humans! According to the American Psychological Association, “Between 2022 and mid-2025, the number of AI companion apps surged by 700%, according to the technology news site TechCrunch. And in 2026, they are poised to become even more embedded in our social lives. Marketed as friends, advisers, and romantic partners, these apps now attract millions.”

As humans, we have a fundamental need for social connection. However, research shows that excessive use of these types of tools actually worsens loneliness and erodes social skills. Bottom line - we were wired to need interaction with other people. Introverts like my daughter and husband would argue that point, but even they crave human contact, even if it’s just with other introverts.

So while I am thankful for the social media platform that initially brought my friends and me back together after all these years, I am more thankful for the time that we actually spend in each other’s company. So far, we have enjoyed great meals and laughter, danced the night away, and solved a murder mystery. Honestly, it doesn’t even matter what we do because it’s all about being together.

Friendships, especially ones a half-century old, are so important and are irreplaceable. Even by the most realistic AI chatbot. On to our next adventure…