Are online friendships "real" friendships?

Hey there

Do you have friends on PC? Do you consider them real friends? What's different (or the same) between online and « real » friendship?

Lets talk about it!

*This can apply for online friends on other places than PC.

The definition of friendship is going to differ by person and that's what is really going to decide it.

For me, anyone who I can talk to a daily basis about subjects I enjoy is enough to be a friend.

Are online friendships real friendships* Gonna big the crud out of me.

And yes, as long as you enjoy others presence and personality, it's as real a friendship as any other

Arsenic said:

Are online friendships real friendships*

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Thanks, I knew something was wrong but I couldn't find the right way to write it hehe. I wonder if there is a way to change it now.


I think those who says « it can't be real friendhsip » never lived it. This is a comment I've heard many times.

Mawa said:

Thanks, I knew something was wrong but I couldn't find the right way to write it hehe. I wonder if there is a way to change it now.

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I went and fixed it for ya.


But to answer the basic question of the thread, yes, online friendships are/can be real. Physical contact is not inherently necessary to friendships (though it can be nice), as the basis of an actual friendship is at least partly rooted in things that don't require it.

definition of a friend: a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations

By definition an individual either online or in real life can be one's friend; however, these friendships will require different obligations and function differently. Both friendships will yield various experiences as well. Unfortunately, online friendships have handicaps that act to prevent bonding as close as real life friends because of a lack of face-to-face interactions. At a practical point of view, its better to have only real life friends than only online friends because humans are biologically created to be social creatures, and mere online interactions (even through live video services) are insufficient. In short, both types of friendships are friendships and function different, but online friends cannot be a replacement for real life friends.

uh. of course they are. i consider my online friends more friends than my real life friends most of the time. it makes me mad when people say online friendships or relationships aren't real like nah get outta here

A friend is a friend as far as I'm concerned. To elaborate on my initial post, if we share some laughs and I enjoy talking to you it is really quite unimportant to me if I know you face to face or not.

Isn't this something completely subjective? Different people are going to value different things in a friendship so it stands to reason that physical closeness will be extremely important to some and totally irrelevant to others.

Personally, I used to be skeptical of those who claimed they have close online friends but over the years I've come to value the friendships I have made online just as much as those I've made offline.

I think strong friendships are possible online, but for me my irl friendships are far stronger. I've never really put forth the effort to make strong ties online. Though I have one friend online that we're able to pick up our friendship at any point so there's that

Absolutely. Especially since there are members of the many communities I have joined over the years that I add on Facebook/Twitter.

lloebet said:

The definition of friendship is going to differ by person and that's what is really going to decide it.

For me, anyone who I can talk to a daily basis about subjects I enjoy is enough to be a friend.

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I much agree with this. Even though I may not see you, I think I can be friends with you.

I'd say so, I know quite a few people online I'd call friends. I don't see why people think online friends aren't real friends

None on this forum specifically, but yeah, I've got online friends and they're absolutely real friends. A friend is just somebody I enjoy the company of. Even if that company doesn't exist through physical presence, it's still company. I can still talk to people and communicate with them.

definitely. ive told friends online some things id never share irl. plus, ive met some IRL so id say yes, theyre relationships that can prosper and function the same as one irl, though they are profusely different.

If they weren't, a lot of people who believe in it would be devastated. But yeah, from what I've gathered people really seem to think different in that regard.

Sad thing is that I can't even speak for myself, as the whole concept of friendship is still somewhat unknown to me. When I asked some of the people I met in my life (be that on- or offline) either didn't have any requirements and just saw anybody as a friend who they interacted with, or they expected a lof of work to put into it.

Anyway, my guess is: it's highly likely that online friendships can be real friendships.

For me, online friendships are much better and definitely more real than irl friendships. I'm a very quiet and socially awkward person who doesn't really like being around people much irl. I don't like going out to social events or things like that at all. I also have difficulties with the subtleties of human interaction, and things like slight tonal changes in the voice or little ticks/gestures will be completely lost on me. I also take a lot of time to figure out what to say in any given context, but it takes me longer in face to face interactions because there end up being too many stimuli for me to collect my thoughts quickly or easily, so there tend to be a lot of awkward silences. Furthermore, I can't really ever bring myself to talk about how I'm feeling out loud. I don't know why, I just have to be the tough guy, I guess, so I just bottle things up irl and never really start to trust people because I just don't get the right kind of interactions with them to do so.

Online works out better though, because I can start getting to know someone in a more comfortable environment (like alone in my room). I can also use the written word to communicate, which I am unquestionably more efficient with than the spoken word, which means I can respond quicker and in a more coherent way. This means people can actually learn a bit of something that's going on in my head, unlike irl. There are fewer subtleties to miss with text, and I can actually express my feelings this way. Which all means that the people I meet online actually get to know me, and consequently I actually get to know them. Considering I dislike speaking aloud at all and dislike physical contact in most cases, online friendships work out much better for me than irl ones, and I have made some really great friends online over the years, whereas my irl friends and I have all drifted apart, in spite of social media.

That said, ideally I'd meet people online and after coming to trust them, we could become irl friends too. Then the issues I have with irl interaction would be easier to manage. But that requires free time and funding, both of which can be pretty difficult to come by.

I don't make a distinction between online and offline friends. It's really just the nature of the communication that is changed, not the personality. I've had some great friendships that span over a number of years that were born on the web. It's just another tool at our disposal to connect with people.

Yuppers. I've got online friends. One of my best friends I met online and then realize she lived in my state, and met her in person and now we're like sisters, BIFF (Best Interesting Friend Forever... Honk. Herp. Derp.)

I'd be nothing without her even though she's my polar opposite she makes me complete. I love her to bits and pieces and I need her in my life ; ' D~ So yeah, friends online are just as real as friends in real life. It's the only way I communicate nowadays so... Yups.

I've been making friends online for 10+ years now, and consider them the same way I'd consider any long-distance friend. We chat, we laugh, we cry, we send each other gifts, and we support one another. I've met many of my online friends irl, and have made amazing memories with them (holla @Moogles). The first time I met one particular friend was when I watched her walk down the aisle at her wedding!

~Psychic