Are internet friends real friends?

[Natdaprat]

I've known some people online for up to 10 years. I've even lost two friends that died, and I went to their funeral.

They are as much my friends as my friends off the computer. Just different types is all.

 

[ottenni]

Perhaps. They would most likely be if i where to meet them in person. After all you could all be ad bots, hell i could be an ad bot, you cant trust anyone, not even yourself!

 

[Stormz]

I do believe they can be actual friends, but I only have a few online people I would consider to be that close. I'm still very cautious when it comes to people over the internet. I don't need some creeper stalking me. I still prefer real life friends though (But I don't have any *Tear*)

 

[iLikeHippos]

Friends in real life have royally fucked me over several times in the past, so I am very distant when it comes to friends IRL. I find online friends better, as the worst they can do to you is to hack your account... And even that is hardly going to happen.

Besides, the online friends actually want (sometimes) to play games with you if you send a game invite.
And in my position, that's all that matters for now.

 

[Lullabye]

Do you think it's fair to simply just leave? to cut ties and move on with your life?

Have you guys ever lost an online relationship that you were glad you left afterwards or one that you wished hadn't gone?

1. Yes. I do it every time I move in real life, which is about once a decade or so. It's my life, and really, people get over each other really fast.
2.No, but then, I've never had an "online" relationship, r at least never got really into one.

 

[Segadroid]

I did a search for this and another topic came up that was similar, however it was also over two years old so I'm going to rewtire this and phrase it the way I want rather than post on a 2 year old topic.

So here's my big Q escapist. Would you consider your online friends real friends?

This is something that has been on my mind recently as I've been in a clan that's done some changing mergine etc. and we've lost a few people that I genuinely enjoyed playing games with. Yes I dont' care so much as to actively pursure them and continue playing with them. keep in mind I've spent probably upwards of 60+ hours playing various games with. However at the end of the day are they really friends? is someone who you game with a friend, and I'm nto talking about the random dude who liked your joke so he added I'm talking about the guys or gals who you look for and intentionally play games with because you would rather play a game with them.

When you log off do you wonder what they are up to or have some knowledge of their offline life?

I feel like this is an ever growing part of what the internet has become, with social networking becoming more prevalant everyday, can someone you meet online qualify as a friend? can they be a better friend than someone you can touch?

That question actually keeps me grinding for a good while now. Personally, I think you cannot call anyone a friend unless you've met eachother at least once IRL.

However, I know StarStruckStrumpets for over a year and I sure had my fun with him. It sure is hard to say we're not 'friends'... So that's why I'm arranging myself a trip to his place. It won't be anytime soon, but it will happen!

 

[jopomeister]

If you get an internet friend, you can make him/her into an amazing friend as I did

 

[Snow Fire]

I consider internet friendships to be on an equal level with real life friendship. However, I believe it is more likely that you will see a person's true colors online, then in real life. Seems more likely that a person would put up fronts in person, then online where they are anonymous.

 

[Chef1010]

I think you have maturity issues (that may or may not be appropriate for your age) if you can't call people friends just because you haven't met them on the internet.

Are the people you play games with on a game server friends? Probably not. They're acquaintances. But that doesn't mean you can't become friends if you talk to them more in situations outside of your hobby. Just like classmates I talk to in my courses aren't friends, they're acquaintances, yet they can easily become friends.

I have people I met on the internet and have never met in real life that I've known for years, and their friendships lasted well beyond the medium I met them in. We enjoy one another's company, exchange stories, and are mutually helpful when one another needs a favour (for what favours are possible over the internet). I don't really know who's defining a friend as being anything more than that.

I think one has to be very insecure and worried about what people will think if they have online friendships, to be hesitant to call people they like online friends. It's like people who are obsessively worried about everyone around them (especially online lol) knowing that they have a girlfriend. Gosh, no one cares, just be happy with yourself and stop being so desperate for approval.

I believe it is more likely that you will see a person's true colors online, then in real life. Seems more likely that a person would put up fronts in person, then online where they are anonymous.

It's about the same in my experience. Anonymity gives people the ability to lie without consequence. I think one really has to commit to an identity to be honest and have a real friendship, online or offline. If there are no consequences, that is, if you don't feel like you're risking anything when you tell someone something, then they probably aren't exactly your friend (that is, they're so unimportant you don't care about their opinion). I find I generally have equal honesty in my online and offline friendships, but it's a legitimate point to say that at least if you lose an online friend they can't gossip about you and ruin your career.

 

[Andalusa]

Well, considering I'm meeting most of the people most I'd call my friends on here in July, I say yes.
However, there is one friendship which I was kind of sad to lose, but he's back now.

 

[Doctragon]

A couple of years ago I joined a local gaming forum. We were a tight nit group and talked on IRC every week. I grew more attached to the users there, to one member in particular that I'd stay up at night and talk to him during his night shift, and after a while I joined them on their local meet-ups. I had a lot of fun and talked more with them, mainly on the IRC or through PM's on the site. I became really good friends with them and I actually went out with one of the members for more than a year though it was after I had met him in real life since we didn't really talk on the IRC or anything. I was friends with them for a long time and do miss some of them a lot.
Other than that, I've been very good friends with people I've met online and I also talk to people I know in real life a lot more online than I do in real life. It's a lot more convenient and I prefer talking on MSN or something than on the phone. I don't believe I can only be good friends with someone in real life, as long as they're interesting I'd love to be friends with them. Though there are some people I only know on the internet that I'd really like to meet in real life, to hang out with and everything.

For the gaming question, I have played with people I really liked but lost interest since it was only in that game. They didn't care enough to use MSN or something so meh.

Point is, I like people. If I talk to you, I like you and find you interesting. That's really all I'd want from a friend but I do have a small group of people that I really trust. I'm one of those "always have your back" kind of friends and prefer to have a few friends like that. If someone rang me, even an 'internet friend' at 3 AM and just wanted to vent then I'd be happy to listen. I'd hate for me to think of someone as a friend but they don't because we've never met in person. It shouldn't matter THAT much, you meet people everywhere. You might start talking to someone in a store or a bar or something, is it really that different? Sure, you know what they sound and look like but you're basically taking a chance. You do the same with the internet. Some people are great, others aren't. You shouldn't judge your friends by where you meet them.

 

[Phoenixlight]

Yeah, I think they're real friends as you enjoy talking and spending time(in-game or w.e.) with them.

Do you think it's fair to simply just leave? to cut ties and move on with your life?

No I think if someone never plans on returning they should say bye at least.

 

[Bigeyez]

My real life friends are my real life friends and my internet friends are my internet friends. That said I'd rather have an awesome friend on the internet over a crappy real life friend any day. The value of a friendship completely depends on the relationship between the two people.

 

[Zaldin]

Well, until I met them irl, they'd still be internet friends to me.

 

[Zhukov]

They can be but they usually aren't.

 

[Platinum117]

People can lie online and face to face. Its just a little harder, so you can never really know someone and therefore each can be equal as friends

 

[Silva]

Do you think it's fair to simply just leave? to cut ties and move on with your life?

I think that I forgive people who leave, since there isn't really a set of social norms that everybody knows about this yet, but generally I think it's bad manners to leave without saying goodbye. Especially if someone knows you well. It's like throwing that person into the recycling bin because they weren't good enough, and like any physical world alienation that goes on, it can really hurt them and their self-confidence. As far as I'm concerned, it's cowardly to disappear without at least telling them you're going and why.

Have you guys ever lost an online relationship that you were glad you left afterwards or one that you wished hadn't gone?

Yes, both.

I've had eight online relationships in my life with various women that I got to know through an internet forum and some games like Guild Wars. Most of them evolved out of friendships. And some of those connections, I really miss, though most of those women are still friends. Some of them, I found out were a huge mistake for whatever reason. Most are in the former group, though.

Online relationships are terribly challenging things. Some people are made to deal with long distance relationships for long enough that you can meet with the person and find out if all those connections totally make sense, but most aren't. I was made for it. Of course, I don't think I'd want to have another. I've had more than enough.

 

[Demons_Bane]

There are a lot of questions in there. To answer, no there is no substitute for real friends in real life, always remember that people can sub consciously take on different persona's to suit their online life. Which is bad because you never quite get the feel for the real person on the other monitor.

 

[Twilight_guy]

If you can't prove that someone exists, then they are not your friend and you can't prove that an internet friend is not an elaborate AI so internet friends are not real friends. You have to physically see someone to be able to consider them a real friend.

I feel no personal connection with anyone from the internet, they are just text or a voice in the great void of the binary ocean.

 

[Zaksav91]

You just can't really know a person who is your online friend the same as you can a real life friend. Thats why in my opinion they are two different kinds of friends.