Online v/s Offline Friendship

Is online friendship true?I'm not talking about a girl and a boy meeting over social media and discovering they are perfect for each other.Lets say here on IF we may have this 'you are my best friend,'you have always stood up for me','you are dear to me than my most real life friends' etc.

I ask how can we vouch for the friendship when we have not tested it actually.In real life we get enough to judge the person to be a good friend or not but here in just few casual meetings how can we say someone as a friend?

Edited by -Crescendo- - 9 years ago

i was always fanatic of a show and in april i started chatting with an indian girl on a forum..as a western girl i found it normal to befriend her more and so with much difficulties(indians arent easy to persuade 😆 ) i added her on facebook...at first it was a bit cold then i asked her for a pic as usually most indian girls have celebrities profile pics... we just went with the flow of events and we found many similarities bw us...i even sent her a video of me and it just came out as a revelation to us that we were destined to meet...we chat everyday...fight...share our issues and lament on our siblings and i really feel like i have been blessed to have a friend like her...every sorrow and happiness is share and we have started making videos for each other...even if we havent met yet i feel like ive been knowing her for years and we are so much attached that we are even best friends!
its hard for me to tolerate the distance separating us and i feel so lucky to have got such a friend like her...actually ive never been comfortable with anyone else even my mates in class...so yes i believe in online/virtual friendship...ofc it cant occur with all..

It depends on how much friendships mean to you, where you've set the bar and what all criteria you have to call someone your friend that actually matters. Offline friendships offer you physical presence and reassurance; online ones offer you a chance at better connectivity, courtesy anonymity. Real or virtual, on the other hand, is always decided by sincerity and inputs involved. Otherwise, hanging out with people offline and sending mushy one liners or emoticons to online ones doesn't take much effort. 

Originally posted by: anael24

i was always fanatic of a show and in april i started chatting with an indian girl on a forum..as a western girl i found it normal to befriend her more and so with much difficulties(indians arent easy to persuade 😆 ) i added her on facebook...at first it was a bit cold then i asked her for a pic as usually most indian girls have celebrities profile pics... we just went with the flow of events and we found many similarities bw us...i even sent her a video of me and it just came out as a revelation to us that we were destined to meet...we chat everyday...fight...share our issues and lament on our siblings and i really feel like i have been blessed to have a friend like her...every sorrow and happiness is share and we have started making videos for each other...even if we havent met yet i feel like ive been knowing her for years and we are so much attached that we are even best friends!
its hard for me to tolerate the distance separating us and i feel so lucky to have got such a friend like her...actually ive never been comfortable with anyone else even my mates in class...so yes i believe in online/virtual friendship...ofc it cant occur with all..

Thats nice to know :)
I guess it was more of your effort and persuasion that led to the strong bond of friendship.

Originally posted by: amidstthehues

It depends on how much friendships mean to you, where you've set the bar and what all criteria you have to call someone your friend that actually matters. Offline friendships offer you physical presence and reassurance; online ones offer you a chance at better connectivity, courtesy anonymity. Real or virtual, on the other hand, is always decided by sincerity and inputs involved. Otherwise, hanging out with people offline and sending mushy one liners or emoticons to online ones doesn't take much effort. 

Thats true..it depends on the criteria of the individual calling someone a friend.
Reassurance-This is what I was talking about...how do we get reassured by our online friends?

Originally posted by: -Crescendo-

Thats true..it depends on the criteria of the individual calling someone a friend.
Reassurance-This is what I was talking about...how do we get reassured by our online friends?

Not everyone online is out there to seek reassurance. And those who are, it depends on what they find reassuring. It could be instant replies for some and not even Skype for few others. Everything about it is subjective.The surest way to see if people are trustworthy, is to trust them and see. And it again is subjective whether the risk is worth it. There ain't no user guidelines.  

Originally posted by: amidstthehues

Not everyone online is out there to seek reassurance. And those who are, it depends on what they find reassuring. It could be instant replies for some and not even Skype for few others. Everything about it is subjective.The surest way to see if people are trustworthy, is to trust them and see. And it again is subjective whether the risk is worth it. There ain't no user guidelines.  

Ok I get your point.
If I may ask what do u prefer more?Real or Virtual friends?

Originally posted by: -Crescendo-

Ok I get your point.
If I may ask what do u prefer more?Real or Virtual friends?

Neither. 😆 

Originally posted by: amidstthehues

Neither. 😆 

Whaat..seriously?
You don't like friends in you life.This sounds bit like me 1-2 years ago.

The world is jam-packed with people who could hurt you. But the world isn't that generous when it comes to finding people you can be yourself with and stuff. It doesn't matter where we find such people, they are our friends and so they will be with us and sometimes they will let us down too, but mostly, they'd be our friends. Online friendship is real life friendship plus, the fear of judgment is even lesser. The downside is, your bestie on IF could be a middle-aged divorcee who stalks young girls in his free time. But didn't I just mention, this way or that, the world is jam-packed with people who could hurt you?