One of the famous attributes of being an introvert is that you become very good at chatting with people online, because the internet offers this freedom to relax, think before responding back to any question thrown your way, unlike face to face conversations where you have to think on the spot, which to an introvert feels like being placed under pressure.
Back in the day, I've always seen myself as someone who was very good at communicating with people online, I was so good that my friends would often give me their phones to help them chat with people online, mostly to keep the conversation going whenever they run out of things to say.
But this was a long time ago, I've never really been a fan of Facebook or any social media that easily gave you access to chat with people you're not familiar with (unlike WhatsApp where you have to have that person's number and most times know them in person), and I kinda distanced myself from Facebook when it became a hot zone for online scammers, not because I was scared of getting scammed but because I didn't want to be seen as one and risk having my account banned (I used to enjoy chatting with foreigners and have foreign friends).
Well, after a very long time, I decided to go through my Facebook some time last week and for some reason the thought about connecting with strangers excited me but unfortunately, things didn't go as I had hoped.
You see, I know that I suck at chatting now. I'm no longer the smart guy I was those many years ago where I could hold interesting conversations with people I've never met and probably would never meet, but I didn't know it had gotten this bad. On my return to Facebook, I sent out a couple of friend request, not to foreigners but to Nigerians because I wanted to slowly ease myself back into the online space but that ended up badly.
It turned out that majority of the people online (females) these days are either rude snubs who only accept your friend requests because they're trying to increase the number of their followers or people who are just looking for someone who would help them get their next meal. But then the few ones I met who genuinely just wanted to chat and probably have a good time ended up ignoring me and probably blocking me after our first few text messages because it was obvious I had nothing to say to them.
I saw myself asking random and stupid questions, questions that make me cringe now anytime I think about them. At one point I thought making use of AI but that would have made me feel even more pathetic so instead of doing that, I decided to take an easier option, I quit. The online space is not for me and I should just accept that I'm better off being a ghost reader, at least for now. Hopefully in the future I could get my mojo back and get back to being the coolest guy online with a lot of friends, both male and female.