As we hit our 30s and 40s, life becomes only more and more complicated. From juggling multiple jobs to maintaining a household and raising children, some of us have little time left over for anything else -- and that especially includes friendships.
Thankfully, the internet has made it intuitive not only to keep in touch with people we know in person, but to forge "web" friendships with individuals all over the globe at the push of a button.
The question is, can friendships forged in cyberspace be as fulfilling as the in-person kind?
To me, it's an emphatic yes.
I don't believe that you have to physically be with someone in person to establish a connection with him or her. After all, even after you befriend someone in person -- say, in school or at work -- don't the phone and internet account for a huge chunk of the time you spend talking to one another anyway?
I find it's easier to strike conversations online -- and, consequently, go on to forge friendships -- with people with whom you share common interests. For example, if you love baseball, it isn't hard to find scores of message boards online with people who share your passion for the sport (and for your local team).
What's more, social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Google + are chock full of pages catering to people's different interests, from sports to food to skydiving. It's easy to join in on the conversation and follow people with whom you wish to maintain contact.
Sure, you miss out on the physical, in-person elements of communication -- like touch, facial expressions, gesticulations, and so forth -- but I just don't feel that makes the connection you can form with people online any less meaningful.
Interacting with my readers on this blog is always fun and rewarding. I learn so much from comments people leave on posts, and the discourse can be as engaging -- if not more so -- than any discussion you can have with someone in person.
Thus, I consider visitors to the blog and people with whom I interact on message boards and social media more than just people in the vast world we call cyberspace -- I consider them friends. When it comes to friendships, there's no need to make a distinction between web-based ones and the in-person variety.
Thankfully, the internet has made it intuitive not only to keep in touch with people we know in person, but to forge "web" friendships with individuals all over the globe at the push of a button.
The question is, can friendships forged in cyberspace be as fulfilling as the in-person kind?
To me, it's an emphatic yes.
I don't believe that you have to physically be with someone in person to establish a connection with him or her. After all, even after you befriend someone in person -- say, in school or at work -- don't the phone and internet account for a huge chunk of the time you spend talking to one another anyway?
I find it's easier to strike conversations online -- and, consequently, go on to forge friendships -- with people with whom you share common interests. For example, if you love baseball, it isn't hard to find scores of message boards online with people who share your passion for the sport (and for your local team).
What's more, social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Google + are chock full of pages catering to people's different interests, from sports to food to skydiving. It's easy to join in on the conversation and follow people with whom you wish to maintain contact.
Sure, you miss out on the physical, in-person elements of communication -- like touch, facial expressions, gesticulations, and so forth -- but I just don't feel that makes the connection you can form with people online any less meaningful.
Interacting with my readers on this blog is always fun and rewarding. I learn so much from comments people leave on posts, and the discourse can be as engaging -- if not more so -- than any discussion you can have with someone in person.
Thus, I consider visitors to the blog and people with whom I interact on message boards and social media more than just people in the vast world we call cyberspace -- I consider them friends. When it comes to friendships, there's no need to make a distinction between web-based ones and the in-person variety.
Comments