Humans are becoming increasingly interconnected as a consequence of the recent advancements in internet and related technologies. Therefore, the formation of online friendships is inevitable. However, concerns regarding the meaningfulness of such relationship has been raised and those friendships are often held at a lower regard compared to face-to-face interactions. The subsequent paragraphs will analyze the above statement and conclude that it is healthy for an individual to develop both types of relationships.
In terms of the argument in favour of the viewpoint, the so called “friends” on the internet are not meaningful and play an insignificant role in one’s life. It is said since online friends do not know or understand the individual fully as they have never met each other in real life, thus they may be hiding behind a certain “masks”, concealing away their “true identities” – characteristics which many of the fake friends share. As a result, one should limit their friendship circle to “real friends” acquired through face to face interactions. This is true to some extent as most find people met via said means tangible and not something one cannot touch, incentivising them to be more honest, thus they are able to form more reliable and trusting friends.
On the other hand, some might see the internet as a safehaven tο freely express themselves without fear of (direct) judgement due to the feature of being anonymous provided by the internet. This notion might push certain individuals, especially introverts who find socializing exhausting, to revealing their true colours on the internet instead, which would provide a medium to build friendships with decent honesty. In addition, the interconnectedness on the internet will allow for the gatherings of like-minded users, enhancing the exchange of ideas and opening up opportunities to further develop their relationships.
To sum up, denying the value of online friendship is not suited, especially with the current trends and developments. Face to face interactions provides a solid groud