Relationships are born of interaction
the fundamental building block of relationships is interaction. when you interact with somebody, you start to get to know them and they start to get to know you.
this means you have the power to initiate relationships with people, by interacting with them! of course, they have the power to not engage/reciprocate, but you can start it on your own.
applies to digital media too-- comments, replies, dms.
requests require a relationship