general Internet Friends or Real Friends?

[Moonlight 7,286]

Internet friends, I don't like being around people but it's slightly more tolerable online. 

[InfectedPone 1,550]

I've got quite a lot of good real life friends, and quite a lot of good online friends too. So I can't really choose. Both of them have their pros and cons but I would never ultimately choose one over the other.

[n0body555 334]

I'd rather have IRL friends.. but that's always been a real complication for me. so I stick with online friends.

[Guest]

I'm not actually any sure. While I feel more confident when I talk to people online, I constantly think about how cool it would be to meet them in real life too. But that also probably means that the internet friends are the ones I'd like to meet? In that case I'd say internet friends. Mainly because I can't really make friends in real life just like that.

[Guest90210 3,568]

I tend to make no distinction between "Internet" and "Real-life" friends. As far as I'm concerned, a friend is a friend, no matter the distance between. They're all important and meaningful to me

Edited May 30, 2016 by Rivendare

[Lightwing 12,970]

I tend to make no distinction between "Internet" and "Real-life" friends. As far as I'm concerned, a friend is a friend, no matter the distance between. They're all important and meaningful to me

This. One of the most common things I hear about internet friends is how, due to not being able to do *as* many things with them as with IRL friends, they are not true friends. For me, a friend is that person I will do my best to keep near(and also does the same back), without caring about if they are away or not, because god forbid one of my friends to think that distance will keep them safe from me ;p

 

About the question though, I am forced to have a small bias towards people that I know on the internet, due for my easier time to engage in conversations and my not-so-present social anxiety that plagues me. Hell, I even am looking forward to seeing some of them on the future (if any of you three is reading this, you know what I mean), and even more. A true friend is that one that you put effort to meet and talk to when you get the chance, be it online or not, because personally, that does not matter to me.

[AtomicStone 724]

Honestly, at the moment I am leaning toward Internet friends.. It seems to me that friendship between me and my friends online is a lot more laid back and just flat out easier to socialise with... I find this anyway.

[SpectraDust 149]

To be honest, while I prefer real life friends, I actually have more Internet friends! XD Since my class in school is very small, there's only of eight of us, and I don't have any friends from out side of school. I do kinda prefer internet friends, because in real life I'm really shy, but I'm absolutely fine talking to people on the Internet.

Edited May 30, 2016 by SpectraDust

[Amorphis 351]

Actually, i prefer both. I have not sooo many IRL, but those few are the closest ones, and some more are on this forum too.

For me it's a bit hard to start conversation IRL, because i have a few interrests, and most of the time i just dont know what to say, sooo yeah...

Except stupidity... i can write a book about stupidity

[Guest]

Real life friends. I'd much rather prefer to talk to and hang out with someone that I can actually touch and feel.

[cmarston1 5,959]

Why can't I have both is the better question?

[Jon the VGNerd 885]

Why can't I have both is the better question?

 

Because everyone is entitled to choose either of the latter. I myself have gotten used to residing at home that going out and befriending people RL is out of the equation.

[Denim&Venöm 18,955]

I'm more so internet friends cause I'm socially awkward and a bit slow to react IRL, where as typing her gives me the opritunity to think about what I say and be articulate about it.   I live in a rural area, away from the stuff that interests me. Most people I meet on a day to day basis at my job are working parents, the elderly or high schoolers, the three groups I share little in common with. And for the most part, I'm an asocial person. I don't mind company, but I'm perfectly alright if I don't have any. It doesn't help that I have to deal with people every day at my job, and would enjoy a lot more time by myself. I would like the opritunity to miss social interaction. 

[ConcorDisparate 385]

Why not both ? Everyone is a friend to me, I don't care where they come from and why, I will try to help people as much as I can, for I want them to be happy. And everyone deserves to be happy. I value both equally, even if I don't go out very often.

[Tao 7,756]

Huh well I don't have a single net friend I talk too or feel close too in truth on here or other places.  Mostly I just got those few good life friends and some friends for over 5 or more years.  I get picky on who I call friend but when I do,  I tend to have em for years. 

[Astro Mambo 52]

Even though internet friends give you the benefit of not being judged for your interests, real friends are the way to go. Plus it's actually difficult to make a good friend over the internet.

 

I currently have zero internet friends and it's not because I'm a terrible person, it's because anyone I may have known over the internet just lost interest in me one day for whatever reason. Sure that can happen with friends you know off the internet but it's more likely to happen on the internet. Internet friends are just not as reliable or faithful.

[Jon the VGNerd 885]

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.

 

Congrats on your end. Sadly, not many of us like myself have the similar, life-changing events like you have.

[Teavvi 627]

Um...I HAVE no real life friends...but I think that I would like real life friends better and the reason is super loooooong.....:/

[twiia 1,843]

Internet friends. Because I have next to no real life friends, and everypony I know seems to hate my guts... Whereas online I don't have to deal with this crap.

[Kiri 7,288]

I personally like having both "IRL" and online friends.

 

I think it's pretty cool having friends from all over the world via online. I love to learn about their culture and perspectives on life, and I feel like it's made me a more well rounded person because of it. I have never actually met up with any of my online friends before, but maybe one day that could change. In the meantime, there are many things you can do to hangout around the net! It is so rare where for me to run into any digital artists (or artists in general for that matter) in my immediate area, so I love being able to make friends with artists online. ^^

 

I also like having IRL friends because the physical closeness is something that I enjoy. I like being able to go somewhere with a friend to just hangout and do fun offline activities. We've sometimes gotten ourselves into the craziest of situations going out on adventures, and I will always cherish those memories. I believe those experiences have helped to shape who I am today. I like taking small breaks from the Internet and just enjoying the outdoors, and it's fun to share that with another person.

 

Online or offline, friends are friends and I value them all very much. ^^

[Scootaloo Is Best Filly 578]

Ever have this one Real Life Friend, who makes you feel terrible and take advantage of you? One of my "Real Friends" treats me just like that. I have a lot of Real Life friends, some good some bad. I have quite a few who never listen to my problems, and some who do. I have friends who are always there and some who aren't. 

 

Let's just put it to you like this, All of my Online friends have always been there for me. They have never been to busy to talk, or blames me for stuff, or blows up my phone with constant texts, or tells me what a terrible friend I am. All my online friends have been there for me, all the time. So, in my mind Internet friends are better then RL friends.

[Sabrinie 392]

I like both but I prefer real life friends. I am terrible at keeping in contact with people and when I have an internet friend, I'm even worse at it because I don't often go on the computer or check my kik messages. There are a few people online who understand that though, and we've stayed pretty close, but it's just easier to keep in touch with people that you see pretty often. Also, I'm kind of a boring person online, so I'm way more fun to talk to and hang out with in real life

[Cloby604 87]

I consider myself that BEST friends comes in real life. It is posible to earn a BEST friend on the internet but I haven't had that expirence.

 

I don't have so many internet friends since everytime I have an internet friend they disapear in a month. I really wish I could have a pal on the internet, to play games, to share status on twitter/facebook/intalgram/vine/ etc. , to chat....

[Guest]

Real life friends, simply because they can do more for you as long as they're nice. Plus meeting the person outside the internet is an important part of a friendship tbh, someone might be completely different irl than what you'd expect them to, not by their looks, but their personality in general.

[Xeltor23 704]

Is it okay if I say: neither? Because internet friendship can go pretty far, even to a loving relationship with some time, like in real life (well, that girl is an exception, she's exceptional)... but then,  real life friends are really special, you get to see, touch, really interact with the person, and that's really special; something you don't have with internet friends