Definition
Consequential strangers comprise the aggregate of personal connections outside one’s inner circles of family and close friends. Such relationship are referred to elsewhere as "peripheral" (versus "core"), "secondary" (versus "primary"), or "weak ties" (versus "strong"). Colloquially, they are also known as acquaintances. But in reality, relationships cannot be neatly classified into groups. Rather, they fall along a continuum. Consequential strangers occupy the vast territory between strangers and close (or core) ties. They are just beyond Stanley Milgrim’s conception of a familiar stranger--one frequently encountered and broadly identifiable (a woman, an Asian, a cop)--but not known in the personal sense. In contrast, a personal and repeated pattern of interaction is evident with a consequential stranger.
The field of consequential strangers encompasses a diverse assortment of relationship types. The gradations between weak ties are often blurred, among other reasons because all relationships are fluid and dynamic. Over time, some consequential stranger connections become close friends or even intimate partners, while others stay at the level of acquaintanceship-–for example, those "anchored" to a particular place, such as a school, gym, or train station or involved in a paid service or status hierarchies (e.g., a boss and worker).
Also, the vocabulary of relationships can be confusing. Whereas some languages, such as French, have two forms of the pronoun "you"–-using the informal tu with intimates and the formal vous with acquaintances-–English has no such markers. The word "friend" is used to describe close and casual relations. One must inquire further to find out what the speaker means. Likewise, "acquaintance" can be defined either as a relationship that falls short of friendship or as a stage from which the relationship becomes more intimate. Technology further complicates the linguistic issue. For example, Japanese sociologist Hidenori Tomita coined the term "intimate stranger"–a person with whom one shares intimate and yet anonymous contact–to describe "new relationships born through the new media."
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