Influencer explains the 'embarrassing' test of 'true friendship' that tells you which friends are best for you

Relationships are complex. If you're lucky, you'll have a wide circle of friends, but you're likely to have a different connection with each of them.

Now, everyone has their own unique personality so it's understandable that for that reason every friend will offer something distinctive, and so it makes sense that every friendship dynamic will therefore be different.

But, it seems no matter how old you get there's an age old question: who are your 'real' friends? Those people you know you can rely on, no matter what.

An influencer claims to have the answer - and she says the test of 'true friendship' is actually 'embarrassing', but it will instantly tell you which pals you're most comfortable with. 

Cora Shircel, aged 23, from Chicago, United States, has more than 300,000 followers on her TikTok page, @corashircel, where she documents her life and travels, including her popular 'get ready with me' and fashion haul videos. 

The content creator, who rose to fame on YouTube, recently went viral after she posted a video discussing how she knows who her real friends are. 

"The test of a true friendship isn't knowing who you would call when s**t hits the fan when you're in crisis,' she began, which is what most people may think of. Instead, the answer is arguably much more trivial than that - "It's who you would not be embarrassed tagging in a giveaway post," - she said.

She continued: "I have plenty of friends, but only a few that I would dare tag in a giveaway. That's true friendship." In the caption for the 15 second video, she posed the question: "Why is it so embarrassing . . . but like it's not???"

Shircel's video has been viewed 1.1 million times and has received more than 2,500 comments since it was uploaded in January, so it seems that many people relate to what she is saying.

Brands and influencers regularly promote giveaways on social media as a way to increase engagement and gain new followers, but to be in with a chance of winning the prize you must tag a friend in the comments section. This seemingly puts people off entering the promotion as the act of tagging others is often deemed as cringeworthy and awkward.  

There seems to be some suggestion in the comments on Shircel's video that the awkwardness comes when people haven't spoken for a while. However, one person said: "I’m unashamed. I’ll tag people I’ve not talked to in weeks."

Many people commented simply to say they agree with Shircel. One said: "this is sadly real". Another added: "Omg this is really real." Each of those comments have been liked more than 1,500 times by other TikTokers who also clearly share the view. One person admitted: "I will only tag my husband and my sister."

One person said: "I always feel so honoured when I get tagged, like it’s okay girl this can stay between us." This comment struck a chord with at least 16,000 fellow TikTok users because this is the amount of likes that comment has received.