general Internet Friends or Real Friends?

[Jon the VGNerd 885]

There's no poll for this, so this is usually gonna be posting opinions on which they like better, or what they prefer over to one another.

 

Yes, real friends gain much benefits than those behind the PC monitor, or on the consoles, compared to Internet friends, whom are mixed between legitimate and fake. However, just like on the Internet, even real friends would either drift away and stop caring to everyone else except their own or sever all physical contact to even their best friend for those many reasons that can result in an emotional blow and force them to become too distant from the outside world.

 

As for me? I used to have that many real-world friends back in high school and in junior high, but that all changed and we all parted ways after graduation. I grew distant from others during college, and after that as well. I was focused on my studies to the point where anti-social began to take place because I felt too distant from different people, even younger ones as well because the majority of them do not share the same interests as I have and even if I did manage to befriend them, it'll only end up temporary instead of permanent. That's where I had to make friends straight on the Internet to keep me from going completely anti-social. And yes, I'm aware of those happenings, but there's always places like the forums itself.

 

Plus, to befriend a person in real life isn't as easy as it was nowadays. Sure they can be normal at times, but then they suddenly start to show hostility or make threats, despite not having done anything wrong, and that would include your own friend who would turn against you as well. Sure in the Internet they would do the same (to a lesser extent of course, unless they managed to grab ahold of your credit card information from a scam or through expert hacking), but in the outside world, its entirely different, which is why I'm mostly confined in my own home just browsing along and such to keep my mood in check, even if the results vary.

 

What are your opinions between Internet friends and real friends, and what positives or negatives bring you to either of them or just a bit of both?

[Moony the Cat 3,702]

I hate real life Friends. Or, like the concept.

 

I had always problems with People, as a kid i got bullied, as a teenager i was more disgusted at my class mates, they all heard this weird Music about taking drugs and having sex and..eww.

 

As an Adult...i dont know, i just lost any motivation to talk to people. It also doesnt help that now, you get forced to befriend and talk to people, against your will.

If you dont talk to everyone at your work place, they dont want you.

if you dont talk to everyone in your class, you get called an autist.

Its always the same for me.

I just dont share any interests with anyone, how am i supposed to talk to People, if i dont have any experience in talking, since for most of my life, all People were just douchebags to me?

And why is everyone talking about, that i would have free will over my life, if everyone just complains about me anyway?

No, you dont have to talk to us, we are not forcing you, but we will kick you out, if you dont start talking.

 

I have to go to work, with the only motivation being that i dont end up homeless, i am ready to work for the entire rest of my life, against my will, but no, even that isnt enough. Everytime i get forced to talk to people and be friends with them, even if that doesnt has anything to do with my Job!

 

Im just sooo sick of it. Everywhere i get forced to talk to people and then people are wondering, why i dont want to talk to them.

I answer if someone asks me, i ask if i dont know something.

What else am i supposed to do? And when? Should i just randomly have a conversation at work?

Arent you supposed to work at your job?

And why is it my problem, that everyone who wants to be friends with me, is a freaking smoker and that i simply dont want to go to the smoking room during breaks, since i dont want to breath smoke air?

 

I hate the whole concept of real life Friends.

Here you have 10-20 people to choose from and if you dont find your friend here, bye bye !

 

I sooooo like Internet Friends more.

I dont get forced to talk to anyone, i have WAY more People to choose from and they are way more Topics i can talk about.

Its just so much easier to find an Internet Friend.

 

So in short, i love Internet Friends and dont even have a interest in real life friends anymore.

[gamecubeguy214 2,512]

I like both. I have some real life friends, but on the internet it's a lot of fun to chat about things. On the internet, more things are possible than in rel life.

[Koukatsu 5,899]

I'm good on both fronts, and each can become the other.

 

My brother Tony, whom I've known for nearly 14 years now, is almost exclusively an online friend at this point. We mainly meet up in online games and stuff these days.
On the other hand, an increasing number of MLPF staff, for example, are becoming RL friends. I was just in Texas this past weekend, visiting Nervous Stitch, SFyr, and Simon. And even more members (and staff!) are meeting up at conventions.

 

It's not an issue of one or the other, it's an issue of finding things in common with those around you, both online and off. It's much easier to do online, because you can just find a niche forum, and you have your starting point. After that, it's just spending time together. And you may find that real life friends circumstances change, preventing you from meeting offline as often or for as long as you used to. Perhaps an internet friend moves to a nearby city, just because they were planning to move there all along. Suddenly, you internet friend can be a real life friend, too.

[twiia 1,843]

Internet friends, I'm extremely antisocial and I don't take friendships or sorry if a 'friend' makes a mistake. Definitely not Twilight Sparkle here, with my friends issue. Internet friends... You can create an online identity that may or may not be better than your current identity, and your less likely to break up with online friends

[Simon 4,557]

I'm literally sitting in another state hanging out with @@Nervous Stitch and @@SFyr after spending the weekend at their house. The best friends are the internet friends who you care enough about to talk to them any way you can

[SparklingSquirrels 21,341]

Friends are friends, whether in real life or online, so I think both types of friends can be real friends

... (unless you meant to say "Real Life Friends", of course)

 

Anyway, I think it's good to have some of both. I'm much closer to my internet friends, but there are so many more things you can do with your friends when you're with them in person.

[baba_booey 4,302]

I'm pretty antisocial in real life, so I have a lot more online friends.. and I don't mind it one bit. I've met a lot of friends just online through games and forums that have helped me through tough times and really enjoy hanging out with me online. I have some friends in real life, but for the most part, I've gotten to know my online friends more and they still mean a lot more to me than any friend I've had in real life. Really, having both internet friends and real life friends is never a bad thing, and both can have just as much if not more of an impact than the other depending on who you are.

Edited May 25, 2016 by SuperALPHYSBrony

[Kimi Vulpine 219]

I've had internet friends since I was 9, and they are the coolest people i've met. I maintained one for 4 years! I don't know, there's something about having a friend that likes you just for your personality that makes me much more comfortable. Real life friends often part ways, fight for trivial reasons, are false, etc. Call me an introvert or whatever, I just feel happier knowing that someone can be my friend without judging me by my looks, money, social status...

[Babyyoshi309 1,829]

Internet friends no question! People I know in real life are total ********. I don't share any common interests with really anyone I know [in real life]. Not to mention I spend a majority of my time on the internet anyway. It is really easy to find people with common interests as you on the internet! 

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

Well, friendships can blossom from both, depending on how much effort you wanna put into getting to know the other person so both have just as much weight as friends.

 

But for me personally, I feel I've gotten closer to people in real life than I ever did online. Apologizes to anyone I've talked to extensively here, I don't hate you guys and have had decent conversations, but I've had better conversations with people in real life. Though that may be due to a personal reasons.

 

If you told me this a year ago, I would've said internet friends no doubt. During that time, I had this bitter teenage angst on people and thought no one took me seriously and thought that one friend was blowing me off. So I was very in my own shell.

 

Then as the months went by I started coming out of my shell more at school. I made new friends, got a girlfriend, and actually approached people to talk to instead of writing everyone off as an asshole or bully. It turns out that well there will be assholes in real life, there will also be legit people who despite not sharing much in common with, still wanna be friends with you and talk to you. Well on the internet, you usually don't get to see them in person (unless it's a really special case), so the most face to face conversations are over Skype or something. Which well cool, just isn't the same as being with them irl. It just feels like there's more connection with friends in real life.

[powerpuff-tsubasa 448]

real friends are more genuine than online friends. irl. they know a lot better on your character since you always meet them everyday while on the internet you dont share them your real personality.

[Megas 27,628]

I think a little Mexican girl said it best

 

 

Even if I don't meet people in person online, I still value internet friends as much as real-life friends, and you can still create a genuine friendship

Edited May 25, 2016 by Megas

[Axel 1,059]

Real friends just because I like to go outside. 

[Drunk Not I Am 1,070]

I think a little Mexican girl said it best

 

 

Even if I don't meet people in person online, I still value internet friends as much as real-life friends, and you can still create a genuine friendship

THIS. Although, honestly i've come to form closer bonds to some of my internet friends especially after high school ended and my friends i'd known throughout school and myself kinda went separate ways. Hell, i've known some of my xbox squad for years so much that i met them last summer and this summer i'm invited to one of their weddings this summer.

[Varrack 1,080]

Real life friends are better IMO. I think that a friend in real life knows you better than an Internet friend does, because they get to interact with you more. You can do activities with them or go someplace with them. On the Internet, you mostly just look at the words someone has typed, and call that "friendship". You also never know for sure if they are who they say they are. Finally, I think a friendship in real life is more likely to be more focused because of the extended interaction in comparison to the Internet where it's easy to just stop talking to someone.

 

This is *not* to say that Internet friendships can't be genuine. Of course they can, but...I don't think it's as likely that they can be. In my experience.

[Willow 1,008]

Honestly, I'm not sure.. I don't have many real life friends anymore, since we've grown apart since graduating from high school. To be honest, aside from one specific person, all of my best friends are online. Plus, I find it easier to open up to people online than in real life, and it's easier for me to just... talk online. I don't have panic attacks nearly as often. So, I guess I'd have to say online friends.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,478]

This is a difficult question to answer. I have no real social life offline, gonna be honest about that. Considering that I am an autistic person with crippling anxiety, that doesn't come off as a surprise, so the internet has been pretty much a social savior in that regard. Though as awkward as I can be offline, if I have a good friend with me, the ability to interact with them in voice and expression is so much easier than online in text. There just isn't as much emotional connections with just plain text.

 

However, there is a very good middle ground for this: Voice and video chat. Being able to do that with my boyfriend and a couple of friends is something that works quite well for me, provided I am not being awkward. It is a thing that allows for some much for expression and the ability to bond is so much better.

 

So with that, both are on equal ground for me.

[Jon the VGNerd 885]

I think I should post my own opinion then:

 

Internet friends, because the last time I encountered my old friend had promised to hang out with me at home just to revive the good times. It never happened and I sent him a message on Facebook to ask what happened and never got a reply ever since, which made me grew even more antisocial as a result and stuck with Internet people instead.

[Invincible 2,091]

I used to have two best friends. Now I'm down by one. I was betrayed by one who i felt close to me, it was difficult enough to forgive, but impossible to forget.

 

I tried bridging between us again, but I can't see them in the same light again.

 

 

As for internet friends, well.. i do have quite a few good ones. Real life, unfortunately, took priority and I don't get to seem em' too much. It makes me wonder if one day someone dies and nobody even notices they are gone, and simply blissfully think they are just away from keyboard, you know?

[NotoriousSMALL 1,984]

This is stupid.

People on the internet are just as capable as being deceptive or cruel. In fact, it's so much easier! You're also just as capable of growing a part from them (happened to me many times), but if you happen to move away from an IRL friend, they can just easily become an internet friend. And it's super easy to find people who share similar interests as you (in mass) like on this site. So thinking that everyone irl doesn't share similar interests in you is just dumb, they don't, it's just they might not express it and so they're harder to find.

 

Positives of online friends are they're so easy to meet and if you're socially screwed it's a lot more comfortable. But with a real life friend you can do all the things you want with them on the computer as you can with online friends, but you can do more (irl stuff). I remember a time when several friends of mine would all play online games, that shit was fun as hell and I miss that soo much. But I've also done the same with internet friends.

 

Personally I think IRL friends are better but that's because I'm not afraid to make irl friends (but I'm a bit more on the introverted side). 

[Ruddboy Olaf 10,628]

Sorry nothing.

Edited July 22 by Ruddboy Olaf

[DuskRain 193]

I have no internet friends. I used to. Not anymore.

 

I have a fair amount of IRL friends, an they are really fun to hang out with.

[Luminn 109]

Being as anti-social as I am, internet friends are my way to go. I feel so awkward talking to people IRL :/

[Solid 1,327]

A good balance of both is how I roll.