The internet has brought about a kind of evolution that has transformed literally almost every aspect of how we do things; this change has been evident even in how we build and maintain relationships. In our world today you can meet someone in the physical world, become friends, and still communicate online despite the distance barrier in the future. The same is the case with building new friendships too. Now you can meet someone online and communicate, and before you know it, you've ignited the fire of friendship between you two, and despite not meeting physically, you can even share experiences and bond so well. And to be honest, there's not much difference between physical and online friends because both provide us with encouragement, support, and companionship; this is even more so for introverts like me, who usually find it difficult to connect with people physically.
Since the advent of the internet and social media platforms, I've found it as a blessing and a cliff to it as a saving grace for someone with my traits who not only finds it hard to connect with people physically but also struggles with social relationships and the like, but since social media, I've not only made friends, I've been privileged to be connected to a space where I can easily share my voice without the need to show confidence in my face, because all my words come from the clicking of my keyboard. And through the years I've made lots of friends on social media; I even met my wife online, first before we became friends through constant communication and mutual alliance and then finally meeting, beginning a relationship, and getting married.
However, despite how great and mighty I've painted online friendship, I'll still like to say that it shouldn't mean we shouldn't use it to replace making real-life relationships, and that's because technology can't completely grasp what physical human connection can produce, such as offering our physical presence during different times, which can go on to increase the level of connection, among many other things. Not to forget the fact that we might not truly know who we are dealing with online; despite the connection, it might end up being scammers or catfishers you're chatting with, and with the innovation of technology, you might not even know because you could even do video calls with such a person, and they'll make you see what you want to see through technology manipulation. Aside from that, someone might choose to share a different side of them with you online, but when you meet them in person, they're a completely different person.
And in such situations sharing too much personal information with such people can be dangerous. Imagine sharing too much with a thief or kidnapper posing as a good person to you; in the end, one might end up becoming their victim or be exposed to disappointment and manipulation.
That doesn't mean I think online friendships are bad. Like I said, I first met my wife online before the relationship began. Also, I've made lots of friends online before Hive, and here on Hive, I remember becoming a friend with a lady around 2008 or 2009 through Glo Africhat, and to date we are still best of friends, so there are lots of good people online. One just needs to be vigilant and be mindful of what they share. When we set boundaries, it'll be great and help us a lot because in the end I believe online friendships should mostly just complement our real-life friendships and not replace them.
For introverts like me, like I said online, friendship can help boost our confidence and even make building connections easier, just that we shouldn't get too comfortable to the point of sharing too much personal information that can put us at risk. And with that, I'd suggest we all walk towards a healthy approach that helps us strike a perfect balance. While we allow technology to connect us with different people across the world, we shouldn't let it cause the same vain disconnect from people around us.
All photos generated using ChatGpt.