Is making friends online easier for you?

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At the risk of making myself sound like a loser to NTs, I have to say that it is easier for me to socialize online than it would be to do so in person. I thinks it's mainly do to the fact that I can have time to process what has been posted/sent and have time to reciprocate the appropriate response, which decreases my anxiety.

So, am I alone in that aspect, or does anyone else find it easier to socialize online?

I found it easier to make online friends too. I met my two exes & current girlfriend on forums.

Only if it stays online. Once it switches over to in-person it usually goes downhill rapidly. More rapidly than just encountering people in the real world in passing. I think online that people build up too many expectations.
I'm pretty sure the one person let out a verbal "Oh" the moment we met in-person...most others the disappointment is pretty clear, even to an Aspie.

The most recent regret is meeting a new found cousin that I matched DNA with on Ancestry. They happened to be visiting family in my area and there was a lot of build up. Her sister was even trying to get plane tickets to fly out for the meet up. I haven't heard from either since the meet up last week. I've messaged a couple times with no response so I'm pretty sure it's going down the same road. Big D'oh on my part with the DNA. I really wasn't thinking about meeting long lost relatives when I did it. I was mostly wanting to know my full ethnicity and find proof of my suspected biological grandfather. (Yes, it was confirmed.)

On the other hand, I met my current partner of 7+ years online so...

Not only easier. I feel I am much better than average people in doing that. It is like walking on firm ground after leaving a swamp. No eyes contact, no gestures, and pretty good control over the "now I want to stay alone" moment.

Most forums I have found is for romantic relationships. I am not interested. On which forum do you go for simple online friendship?

I used to find it so much easier to make and maintain friends online. I wasn't forced to come up with replies on the spot, there wasn't anybody observing me whilst I was doing that, I could make stupid jokes or say things that were slightly pathetic or whatever and it wouldn't matter as much because I wouldn't have to see their reaction. I used to start conversations over nothing and just chat to people in general but for some reason now I just don't know what to say. Maybe I'm more aware of how I'm coming across now so I'm trying to say things of value rather than just meaningless chit-chat but I've got nothing to say that isn't completely off-topic. It seems easier in person now. Maybe I'm overthinking it online but don't have time to do this in person. You've only got a couple of seconds to think of a response when they're there in front of you.

I find it easier to have online friends, talking online is easier for me, when I’m out & talking to someone, it’s pressure to find the right words to say, I’m like this when I went to my family party, i stopped going to the family gathering, now it would be tooo much if I go to my family gatherings, what if I get bad anxiety. I rather be in my apartment with my cat than out in public,when I out, I feed lonely & feel like nobody cares about me I wish it was easy to talk to my grandmother when I call her, I’m really uncomfortable talking on the phone.

No

It depends on the forum. Some of the best friends I ever had was on an Internet site related to Siamese cats. The people there were really nice.

it used to be but not it just became difficult on both

It's easier because I can take the time I want to reply and edit and formulate and reformulate.
But it takes me much longer than most people to write messages, and it gets to be a real effort and stress factor when I spend several hours over some days to concoct a PM or email, and they respond to it within a few minutes or so.

And it does't remove the problem of never having much to say.

So yeah, easier, but not easy by any means.

Yeah I've found it easier to meet people online; typically doesn't last long because then they'll just ghost me...