Do you consider online friendships real? Do you value them as much as you value your "real life" friendships?

[menina]

Assuming that you talk to your online friends very often, you've seen their faces on video calls and you know they're not catfishing you. You could even have talked to them on the phone. Also you and your friend or friends want to meet in person.
I have a friend who doesn't believe in online friendships. My sister doesn't believe in them either.
I believe that an online friendship can be real, as long as there's trust, openness, honesty, care and good communication. And I do value them as much as my "real life" friendships.

[Blackcupcake]

I definitely think they are real, just as real as the "real life" friendships but it's just different... I made my first online friends here on GaG, and they're some of the greatest people I know, very genuine and lovable people and I don't consider them any less of a friend than my real life friends.
Of course I would love to meet each and every one of them in real life, but that's difficult when we all have different lives in different parts of the world. But that doesn't make the friendship any less real, genuine or valuabe🥰

[menina]

"Of course I would love to meet each and every one of them in real life, but that's difficult when we all have different lives in different parts of the world." - That's exactly how I feel.

[Cherry234]

Not all online friendships are real. The same applies to real life friendships. Some people are fake and will catfish you. You have to be careful about who you interact with online and irl too. Sometimes people will dislike you or won't even want to talk to you if they find out something about you they don't like. One guy doesn't want anything to do with me just because I wrote something he doesn't agree with. I decided to block him because of that and because I thought he wasn't being very nice to me

[menina]

I know what you mean. I try to be very careful with my friendships (online and offline). I know what's the kind of people you're talking about. And I also had users blocking me because they didn't like something I said.

[Cherry234]

I think I was justified in blocking him. I didn't like the way he was talking to me

[menina]

Yes you were. You didn't have to talk to him if he was being disrespectful.

[ChrisMaster69]

Yes up to a point online can be really good friends as you can open up to them and relax.

one of my good bunches of friends are from a Car forum where I’m a Mod.

initially it was mainly online chatting and stuff, then we started having car meets around the country. Then we progressed to trips to Europe, Le Mans, Italy, The Ring, Germany etc

we still chat online, Instagram and What’sApp, it makes it odd as we introduce new people to the group and they go from online only to real world.

[menina]

Yes, that's the type of online friendships that I'm talking about. When you end up meeting the person.

[Red_Arrow]

One of those "sometimes" questions. I have one online friend that I have been with them through a lot. We have opened up a lot to each other and know some pretty deep secrets. I have messaged her, emailed her, and called her, over many years. A lot of trust between us. If I ever get in her part of the world, I will meet her in person. A lot closer friend than many friends I see daily.

[menina]

"A lot closer friend than many friends I see daily." - That's how I feel about some of the friends I made online.

[Sawyerblu]

I have never met one of my best friends despite being friends with him for 10 years!


He lives in Michigan and I’m in Texas and we’ve never been to each other’s state. Despite not having met him in person, he is one of my favorite friends and we can depend on each other for anything. It’s really helpful that we’re opposite gendered because we can ask for relationship advice and understand it from the male and female perspective.


I highly value his friendship and would place our friendship higher than a lot of the people I know in person. It’s kinda refreshing being able to talk about anything and everything and know that I won’t be spread to other people. Our conversations are confidential and judgement free and we’ve even made marriage pact if we’re single at 35 lol.


Our friendship is very real 🤍

[menina]

That is really sweet. It reminds me of a friend I had. Hope you guys keep being friends. :)

[Apulu_3]

Yes online friendship can be true but it is very rare. Half of the accounts are fake and many don't have any intentions of a good friendship instead they are just fake friends. But yeah there are true friends and many people don't believe that as they are very few than cyber bullies. I also have a really great friend in this website and we share same interests so we aren't bored of each other. Anyways precautions is better than cure. I hope you understand what I mean. If a person seems great for few days that doesn't means he/she is a true friend. If we are talking online it is very much important not to ask much information (it will make you look like a creep) and never give much information.

[menina]

Thank you for your reply and your advice. I know what you mean.

[lilyanony1]

I try to be genuine in all my endeavours in life.
That includes online friendships.
I Don't engage in online relationships simply because for me they feel like a waste of time. They're living the other side of the world. I'm not rich, this isn't a fairytale. There are things like visas and there's no guarantee you'll get one.
There's the long distance, the harsh reality that the fantasy doesn't live up to what we think it will.
That to me is a waste of time and heartache I really don't need.

[Rachel794]

My previous online friendships didn’t exactly work out. There was a lack of trust on both sides and conflict never got resolved. I also felt my Christian views were not being respected even though I broke my back respecting them back, they didn’t want to return the favor. I’m hoping to start over, starting with Girls ask Guys.

[menina]

I'm sorry to hear about your bad experiences. Hope you make other friends in GAG. Welcome! :)

[LinaDaGoddess]

Yes, I’ve known a girl since I was in hs and we’ve never met in person.. I consider our friendship to be very important.. she’s a very important person because regardless of our interactions being behind a screen, she’s been a great friend to me. She’s very positive and supportive, and I know that we both mutually care for each other..

[menina]

I totally understand you. Your friendship is special, hope it stays that way. :)

[LinaDaGoddess]

Thank you! I hope it does as well because she’s such a great person.

[menina]

That's great! :)

[penneva581]

Yes, they are definitely real. It's just a bit harder to keep those friendships going bc you never see them irl. I feel like it's a lot easier for me to open up to people online. Sometimes it feels kind of weird tho bc I can't imagine what their daily life is like or meet their family yknow.

[menina]

"I feel like it's a lot easier for me to open up to people online" - Me too. I've told things to my online friends that I never told to my real life friends.

[NewgodX]

No, humans in general don't value people who they don't see or touch or hang out with,, well i can't lie I have no friends in real life and no online friends as well but I can say it for a fact that i would value a person I can go to movies or hang out on Sunday afternoon then a person who just texts replies

[menina]

You remind me of a friend of mine, he would agree with you.

[NewgodX]

Online friends are not really friends they are people you know, if you meet an online friend face to face and begin to hang out then it's a different thing but apart from that they are just people around the world

[menina]

Ok. Just answer one more question please. Let's say that someone has a friend they met online, they had plans of meeting that friend in person. But then that friend dies. Would you say it makes no sense for the person who lost their friend to be sad and to cry because of their death?

[NewgodX]

The real thing is Emotional connection and humans only connect the other people emotionally when they are close I mean they spend time together, even if someone knows that someone has died who they used to talk to say an online friend they won't feel much, coz there was no emotional link there,
People don't feel high level of sorry in death of colleagues they work with they feel it for couple of days at max but continue with their life easily, only loss of people you are close to affect you

[menina]

Ok, I get your point. I'm just asking because this happened to me recently, and I'm still affected by my friend's death.

[NewgodX]

Well you are Emotional person I can say that I don't even have to verify that and it's OK if you are affected nothing wrong in it, just humans are becoming more selfish and insensitive these days, no one cares , my marriage only lasted less than 3 months now all females are banned from my life forever but its not a bad thing, when a house is on fire you can only save few things, rest all burns to ash, sometimes even important things burn down too but I did what I had to do to survive, I don't regret it

[menina]

Yes I am an emotional person. I don't know how to live without emotions and feelings.
Thank you for not judging me.
I had a strong bond with him, a bond that I don't have with people I know in person. I truly miss him and moving on has been really hard.
I'm sorry to hear about your divorce. It's a shame that your marriage only lasted 3 months.

[NewgodX]

Thats OK, take care stay safe keep smiling, live a long and wonderful life, remember the gone for the best moments, the past should only Bring a smile on your face not a tear, good luck

[menina]

Thank you. I'll keep your advice in mind. Good luck and thanks for answering. :)

[Dude_777]

Online friendships with whom i never met. I don't value them, and i don't make online friends, unless they are linked via some mutual friends who know them in real and then there is only "chance" that i make them friends.

I may talk to people online occasionally, but making them friends is not really an option for me in most cases.

Online friendships with whom i met in real for a good time period or was in real friendship with, but they are far away now. I value them.

And most of the people looking for online friendships are pretty big losers, pretending to be someone they are not. Obviously there are good people out there, but majority are waste of time.

I already have so many wonderful friends and family, that i do not feel the need to make more online friends.

.

[DiegoO]

Hmmm. I treat online friendships differently. Whatever affects you emotionally is real enough. Would I like to know in person my online friends? No.

The online world is interwining with the "real" world, more than ever, in this era called the digital era. Even if its the case, both worlds shouldn't be approached the same.

[menina]

I understand why you're saying that, I really do.

[loveslongnails]

The majority of my online friendships turned into real meetings. Some of the friendships lasted, others did not. Only recently was I deeply affected by someone I met here, but hey - that's life. Only a very few people ever come into your life and remain there.

[menina]

" Only a very few people ever come into your life and remain there." - That's true and I just learned that as an adult.

[loveslongnails]

Don't fret --- I gets worse. LOL

[menina]

Yeah I can imagine Lol

[legalboxers]

I value my online friendship more than my real life friendship. Total strangers have my back. No one in real life dont.. Or shall I say people who are physically here, people who I talked to on the phone who aren't physically present (thought I should clarify that)

[menina]

I feel the same way.

[legalboxers]

@menina I had to clarify my answer from something which happened to me a year or two ago. I just wanted to make it explicitly clear. I have few friends on-line who I would take a bullet for. Not so much people I know in real life. Those I know in real life aren't worth my pain

[menina]

Ok, I understand your explanation. I'm sorry to hear that you have friends who don't care that much about you.

[kc_4308]

Nope online dating or meeting people don’t work for me. I recently had a so called friend ditch me from a Facebook group and I wouldn’t call him a friend because we never met. I’m a visual person and prefer meeting and dating people face to face. Anything online no..

[Nomina]

My closest friend and I met on a forum years ago. We've been there for each other through good and dark times. Yet we've never met in person.

Online or in real life, I'm very picky but when I consider them a friend, it's real.

[menina]

"Online or in real life, I'm very picky but when I consider them a friend, it's real." - Me too.
It's good to hear that you guys have a strong bond.

[NicoletteXO]

I think it depends on the nature of the relationship.

But in general, I don't think online friendships are even remotely real compared to real life ones. Basically, for the most part, it's two people projecting around their idealized images of the other person - it's rarely grounded in truth.

That said, there are always exceptions.

[readyplayer001]

1 or 2 but the rest not really, most are people who get to know a little about you and vice versa, dont answer when you check in with them, then only contact you back when they need something or need to vent other then that its all fakery no one wants to put effort in unless its all about them. so---

[Shizunk]

Most of my long term contacts are people I knew in real life who then moved away but continued to write mesaages. That is fine.
I had a great relationship for months with a girl who ended up living with me for 7 years after. And it's not like the months leading up to it don't count. But I never had a pure online friendship survive without the explicit expectation to turn it into something else relatively soon. So I am a bit skeptical.

[Diodoro]

I always did. Friends I gamed with near daily. Spent hours together. So many inside jokes, references, shared our IRL stories/days. I'm closer with some people I met through online gaming than I am with some people I knew for years in person.

What you Bond over means something in my opinion. Actually just mailed one of them a bday gift couple weeks ago

[Flower7]

Yes, I feel like they are real. I have more friends from a distance than I do in person.

[menina]

Me too.

[mrcurious2020]

I've met good friends online. I only got scammed once. I had just broken up with someone I had met online in person. I knew them for about five years. I was in a rush to meet someone else but it was just a fake picture they used.😞
Happened a long time ago but I'm over it now😊

[menina]

I'm so sorry to hear that. Yeah sometimes we come across people with bad intentions. I'm glad you're over it. :)

[GaGirls]

So my best friend moved away. She is now my online friend. Is she not my friend now? Distance does not negate friendship. Friendship need no permission of distance.

[menina]

"Friendship need no permission of distance." - I absolutely agree with you.