Do you think Online friends = Friends?

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I have met a few people I have had a lot of contact with online, and for the most part that changed nothing. We were like old friends. I visited one such friend in the states once, and when I came to his house he told his wife "See? They're real people.". Not all such meetings have been great, but none have been failures.

In some ways online friends can be "better" than "real" friends, because many times I'll say things in an environment like this that I wouldn't say irl, and so my online friends know sides of me some of my rl friends don't.

I think e-friends are friends, but are a different classification of friends from those we met and interact with in-person. Much the same type of difference between "work friends" and regular friends.

An e-friend is someone you look forward to seeing online, and you are interested in discussing things with them, sharing thoughts, etc. And in some cases, you might confide in them before confiding in an in-person friend whom you don't communicate with primarily over the internet.

So an e-friend is indeed a real friend, but it's by a different definition. There are also e-acquaintances, much like in-person acquaintances.... With them, you might just know their names, and a few things about them, but they're not close enough to share feelings with, etc.

Charles

^^^ Bingo!

If other members are local & occasionally met for social occasions or times of need / help assist with issues , then yes, possibly so, for example; - on another forum I'm on I've met other members very local to me that shared my interest in railways / model making, but the weekly meetups we have does'nt go far beyond the common interest of our hobby, - although he helped me board up a broken window once !
Also, depending what type of interset a forum specializes, (such as urban exploration forums), members are more likely to have closer off line relationships as the subject is more to do with teamwork of exploration.

So I think in the majority of cases, as well as the distance factor between people, "online friends" are just that, as, typing behind a keyboard feels "more at ease" for some people.

Supposeing person X and person Y decided to meet up for coffee/advice/chat, face to face, person X may feel uneasy with person "Y's" presence for a particular reason, or person Y does'nt forfill all the expectations that person X had built a mental image up of & this can be stressfull somewhat, depending how fragile or sensitive the other person is.

As we dont see the person online, we dont really know them fully & so many people are comfortable with just a "vision" in their minds of how they see that person, - online is fine .

Dave.

I see online friends as both friends and family.

I'm with CrazyCatLord on this, based on personal experience. Even though I don't have any close friends, only acquaintances, I feel closer to them than I could ever feel to posters on-line. No matter if some of those posters are kindred spirits I've shared great discussions with.

My best friend is an online friend. We've never met in person, but we're like sisters. It is silly to say that an online friendship cannot be deep and meaningful.

Online friends are their own class of friends, and can become real life friends.
I admit though that with online friends it's easy to not talk to them for a while if I don't feel like it because they're miles away and I can't see them. I'm a rubbish online friend.

I don't have many "real life" friends, there's my girlfriend (who was originally an online friend anyway), her mum, one guy at work, who I only ever see at work anyway, and one old friend from school who I hardly ever see.

So online friends can mean quite a lot to me, again I don't have many, but the few people that have stood out to me online and made me feel happy, I consider my friends. Even though I haven't met them and more often than not don't even know what they look like, I know that there is a level of care involved as they have taken the time to get to know me a little better and help me when I feel bad and cheer me up and make me laugh. And I know that they are more then just words on a screen, they are real people out there that under different circumstances could easily be the sort of person I'd enjoy spending quality time with.

The proof to me that an online friend can still be a very good friend is my girlfriend. She was my absolute best friend for quite a while before we even met. I never knew friendship and trust like it before. It was odd having that ultimate feeling of connection to someone who was nothing more than words and pictures and a bad quality webcam video.

To my online friends out there, I do think of you all a lot, and you mean more to me than you're likely to understand.

_________________
THINGS I LIKE
Parasaurolophus, Plesiosaurs, Dinosaurs, Pterosaurs, Music, Tuna, Chocolate milk, Oreos, Blue things

Parasaurolophuscolobus. Parasaurcolobus. Colobusaurolophus.
....And Nunchucks are my friends.

There are some people on here that I wish were IRL friends.

Same. I feel like I neglect them too much too. Hopefully they have lives to be getting on with and don't mind.

_________________
THINGS I LIKE
Parasaurolophus, Plesiosaurs, Dinosaurs, Pterosaurs, Music, Tuna, Chocolate milk, Oreos, Blue things

Parasaurolophuscolobus. Parasaurcolobus. Colobusaurolophus.
....And Nunchucks are my friends.

The only difference, to me, is the distance, which really doesn't count for much. People can be just as close or apart regardless of whether it's in person or through a computer.

Making new friends via the internet has helped me , especially since I've joined this particular forum which is primarily for people having something in common with each other.

It makes me think how well I would cope without the access of internet..., tbh if I did'nt have internet access I think I'd be in a far worse state mentally & physically ,
I say physically because prolonged mental decline leads to neglecting oneself so physical health fitness etc suffer.

Online friends are online friends. They are still friends, but nothing replaces actually physically being here. I hate typing after being isolated for so long.

I think the best online friends are ones that you can meet in places, like a day out at the movies or park. Friends you can speak to on skype, and that you can interact with on all different levels, such as casual and personal. Ones you just see on a website feel distant.