| So my coworkers and I are having a debate on whether or not internet friends are "real friends". Internet friends would be defined as the people that you have bonded with and regularly interact with through forums, online gaming, blogs, etc... You may or may not know what they look like, what their real names are or have ever met them in person. So the question is, can someone be defined as a friend if you have never seen them or interacted with them in real face-to-face life? Do you think internet friends are real friends? I don't consider anyone I haven't met a 'real friend', but rather a second-tier kind of friend. Discuss. |
| Harsh truth; No. No one on the internet actually knows you. They are not your friends, you are not their friend. To think otherwise is childish. |
| Yes, I have a few. |
| Yes and no. I've always found online friendships to be a lot more brittle than real ones. You never know when your online buddy might just suddenly get bored of you and stop communicating out of the blue, has happened to me quite a few times, even when I new them for a while. The same can happen with real-life friendships of course, but it doesn't happen as often in my experience. |
 |
| Dunno. Ask my friends. |
[i]"Yet each man kills the thing he loves, [/i]By each let this be heard, Some do it with a bitter look, Some with a flattering word, The coward does it with a kiss, The brave man with a sword!'' ~Oscar |
DawnBreak said: Yes. We all your friend here who the fuck are you? Some nobody with only 6 posts is not my friend. |
| What's considered to be a 'friend' is totally up to the individual person. Just because there may be no one on the internet who you've liked enough or made such of an impact on you doesn't mean someone else hasn't found someone who has. Friend is a lose word anyways, there's nothing in it's definition saying that it has to be purely physical. |
DawnBreak said: Tsuyuu said: who the fuck are you? Some nobody with only 6 posts is not my friend. How much post i need to become your friend? gtfo scrub |
| Of course they are, and thinking otherwise is old-fashioned and backward. I've met a ton of good people on the Internet that I've had meaningful friendships with, and that have helped me improve as a person. I don't really differentiate between 'online' and 'irl' friends. I have some online friends that I value more than my irl friends, and vice versa. It makes no difference where they live so long as I consider them to be actual friends, and not just a bunch of randoms. Some of my online friends probably know more about me than any of my real life friends anyway, lol. I've even received postcards and boxes of candy in the mail, which solidifies the idea that we're something more than just online acquaintances. Exchanging local candy is always fun. So yeah, it's irrelevant whether you're an offline or online friend. Saying stuff like, 'you don't really know them' is retarded, because newsflash: a metric fuckton of irl acquaintances aren't who you think that they are either. It all boils down to individual people, and distance is irrelevant in my equation of what constitutes friendship. The only advantage of having friends close to you is that it is more convenient if I needed a favor or something, but besides that I don't care. It's the same thing anyway - people that connect with other people. Today we have the technology to communicate and connect with people from all over the world, and I'm one of those people that like to take advantage of that. |
MoogSep 24, 2015 7:33 AM
| Yeah, very few. |
| Of course. |
| not in my eyes |
| They are no less friends than those in person. Sometimes they are better. Although I'm not sure anymore if real friends even really exist since it seems everyone is just an endless patter of abuse and betrayal. :/ |
| Experience has taught me that they're not. Friend as a term is used very loosely these days. Apparently any random you add to your social network accounts counts as one, or that guy that you play with online. |
 I don't watch as much anime as before... |
| Depends. I've met up with 2 MAL friends irl ^^ |
Moog- said: +1Of course they are, and thinking otherwise is old-fashioned and backward. I've met a ton of good people on the Internet that I've had meaningful friendships with, and that have helped me improve as a person. I don't really differentiate between 'online' and 'irl' friends. I have some online friends that I value more than my irl friends, and vice versa. It makes no difference where they live so long as I consider them to be actual friends, and not just a bunch of randoms. Some of my online friends probably know more about me than any of my real life friends anyway, lol. I've even received postcards and boxes of candy in the mail, which solidifies the idea that we're something more than just online acquaintances. Exchanging local candy is always fun. So yeah, it's irrelevant whether you're an offline or online friend. Saying stuff like, 'you don't really know them' is retarded, because newsflash: a metric fuckton of irl acquaintances aren't who you think that they are either. It all boils down to individual people, and distance is irrelevant in my equation of what constitutes friendship. The only advantage of having friends close to you is that it is more convenient if I needed a favor or something, but besides that I don't care. It's the same thing anyway - people that connect with other people. Today we have the technology to communicate and connect with people from all over the world, and I'm one of those people that like to take advantage of that. |
| It depends on how close we are. I don't open up easily but if I feel I can trust the person then I would definitely put friends I met online in the same category as my RL friends. The same criteria applies to RL friends, I don't really differentiate between the two. Friends are still friends, regardless of how far we are from each other. Moog- said: This sounds like a lot of fun actually. I love trying out different kinds of candy. I've even received postcards and boxes of candy in the mail, which solidifies the idea that we're something more than just online acquaintances. Exchanging local candy is always fun. |
SolosSep 24, 2015 8:16 AM
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| They are different. Can't be bothered to elaborate more. |
| "There's no shame in falling down... true shame is to not stand up again!" "Aah? Of course I won't miss!" "My blood tastes like Iron." "Run through the tape in life! Never give up! Run through the tape!" |
SnugglyWhuggly said: Yes and no. I've always found online friendships to be a lot more brittle than real ones. You never know when your online buddy might just suddenly get bored of you and stop communicating out of the blue, has happened to me quite a few times, even when I new them for a while. The same can happen with real-life friendships of course, but it doesn't happen as often in my experience. Exactly! In this sense my experiences are the same. |
baskervillain said: Infatuate said: Experience has taught me that they're not. Friend as a term is used very loosely these days. Apparently any random you add to your social network accounts counts as one, or that guy that you play with online. i don't think we're talking about the term itself, but the relationship associated with the term. given the relationship, should they still be considered friends despite the fact that they're only conversed with online? or are you saying that all online "friendships" are shallow, regardless of the state/quality of their relationship? Well I've never found someone I'd consider a true friend online. I'm sure they exist though. Lots of acquaintances however ^^ |
I don't watch as much anime as before... |
| No |
 |
| You must be delusional if you think they are. |
| . |
| I prefer the friends I've made on the internet to most of my 'real life' friends. |
 |
| What, because someone interacts with you via a screen that makes them less of a person now? A friend is a friend. Doesn't matter where you find them. |
 |
| Nah most 'friendships' are little more than a persona knowing a persona. Its better if you chat through skype and stuff but it won't be the same as a real life friendship because you will always have that separation of just been online friends can't like hang out, go for a beer ect ect just talk online. |
 |
| Yes, duh. I don't consider "friends" someone you say "hi" daily and that's it though. I'm talking about someone you really do feel a "connection" and can actually talk with about mostly anything. This is both for IRL friends and Internet friends. I have bonded with a lot people on the internet so to dismiss them is stupid just because their physical presence isn't there. Heck, 2 of my internet friends are 2 of my best friends. The downside is that people can disappear from the internet due to being busy/working/moving/stop using a social media so it's easier to disconnect with them, but this kind of stuff also kinda happens in real life to a lesser extent anyway. |
| I guess, but it's still better to hang out with people in person. |
 I respect your opinion as long as you respect mine. |
| All internet friends are in fact Lucifer himself. |
| Yes Everyone is my best friend |
 Nico- said: Conversations with people pinging/quoting me to argue about some old post I wrote years ago will not be entertained@Comic_Sans oh no y arnt ppl dieing i need more ppl dieing rly gud plot avansement jus liek tokyo ghoul if erbudy dies amirite |
| Like IRL friends, not everyone is my true friend nor guaranteed to be one. It's hard keeping connected with online friends especially because you run out of things to talk about or do. |
| i see the people i meet online as like 'temporary acquaintances'. if by any chance i stay acquainted with them for a significantly long period of time then yeah i'd call them friends. i'm more than happy with my social situation irl and i much prefer it to online |
| Friends are friends, I don't see any difference between IRL and internet friends. Sure, internet friends could be harder to maintain for a longer time but that doesn't make them just some strangers. |
 :::|| ---A N I M E L I S T--- || ---M A N G A L I S T--- || ---S I G N A T U R E S--- || ---C A R D S--- ||:::  |
Infatuate said: Experience has taught me that they're not. Same here. You don't really know someone until you meet them in person. |
Scavrefamn said: Harsh truth; No. No one on the internet actually knows you. They are not your friends, you are not their friend. To think otherwise is childish. This. I consider someone a friend when they have come to my house and I to theirs |
 |
| Yes and no. |
| Friends are friends... there is no such thing as "real friends". Though you are usually not as deebly connected with internet friends as IRL friends and therefore they might not be as good either. Last week I was talking with one of my old girl classmates and she said: "So, have you found some friends in your new study? I mean real friends, that you have meet with after school" and I remember thinking "Why the hell can't they be real friends even if I've only meet with them at school?!?" (I didn't say anything though) |
| Friends made IRL or online are still people, so what exacly makes a person we met IRL diferent then a person we met online? It's certain that some ppl create alias online but if you know that person long enough and you get to bound / trust them, i'm pretty sure you will end up geting to know a bit of the "core" of that person. After all, those people "you met online" also have friends they met IRL, but in the end they are all people. |
| yup. just because the mode of communication is different doesn't make them any less of a friend. |
| Yes. |
 |
| of course i think friendships over the internet might sometimes take longer to build because it's harder to gain trust and stuff but it can and does happen all the time |
| If it never goes pass the point of just talking on the site you met then no I don't think the two would be considered real friends. |
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