Are internet friends better than real life friends?

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The only friends I really have are on WP.
Well, I consider them to be friends anyway, I don't know if they think the same though.
Anyway, I think I prefer this to having friends in real life, or it might just be that people on here share my interests and are more like me. I find it less stressful having friends on here though than friends who I meet in person.
I might be the only one who thinks this though...

I used to think that real life friends were better, but now I firmly believe internet friends are what rules! I've gotten good advice from people on WP, and learned so much more on here than I would have if I joined some dumb support group or something.

I find Net friends less stressful, but real life friends more fulfilling. If that makes sense. Or, well, I do when there are real life people around me that I get on with.

I think you(ppl) need something is the middle.I think that would be better. But thats just my opinion.

Well I have about one person I would call a friend in real life and a couple over the internet but I would definately say that real life friends are better. There is more of a sense of accountability; internet friends are so transient, you can go from speaking to someone everyday for months to suddenly never hearing from them again at the drop of a hat for no particular reason.

There is something to be said for sharing experiences with people too; with RL friends you can just sit and say nothing but actually do something or go somewhere together whereas online you can just talk and sometimes there isn't much to say.

I think I have also got to the point where I am interested in people who share my general outlook rather than people who specifically share exactly the same interests as me. I mean, my RL friend isn't really that interested in my major hobby so I don't talk about that much. I have mentioned over time so he knows some buzzwords and will humour me for a while but we normally end up talking about music, which we both like or just totally general things.

The other thing that I find about friends is that when I was in my teens and everyone was in cliques and niche subculture groups, I used to think 'It'll be easier to make friends when I am older as people will act more naturally and won't feel the urge to fit into some clique' but as I have grown up, I have seen that this attitude transcends age and that adults have to fit into a particular crowd just as much as teenagrers a lot of the time. This attitude is even more pronounced on the net so I guess it is easier to find 'general interest' people in RL.

Internet friends are way better.

I've always found net friendships easier to maintain. And deeper as well. The only downside is that when all your friend are online it can leave you feeling like a bit of a loser at times. Or it does me, anyhow.

Internet.

i dont want friends

WP friends are better than any other online and real life friends
I dont have any friends in real life either, and online just WP, nowhere else.
I did considered you as a friend.

I have more than 150 real life friends, and I think they're better than online friends. Funny, I seem to be the minority on the poll.

i stopped to care if i had friends long time ago. when i had some, it always finished sooner or later, anyway. and then the period of loneliness comes again and again. it's difficult getting used to it all the time. i feel kind of free believing i don't need (or even don't want) friends.

I think real friends are better. They are easier to trust, you can go out and have fun with them, you can laugh together, and many other positive things. Yes, I will agree there are some added negatives to real friends.

I shouldn't say much though because I have never really had any internet friends and have lost my few real friends after going to
college I am too shy to go out on my own and find new friends.

Real life, definitely.

Never had any anywhere; mainly 'cause I don't know what a "friend" is and how I'd define it.

I've enjoyed speaking to Robyn via PM, and I guess she’s the closest thing to a “friend” I’ve experienced, i.e., speaking my thoughts completely.... Which probably confuses her to no end. :)

There's quite a few individuals here I'd like to be "friends" with, but I'd never go out of my way and PM them to talk.... I'd hate to be a nuisance.

It's good to speak to people and be heard, humbled and humored.