MY ONLINE FRIENDS KNOW ME MORE THAN MY REAL LIFE FRIENDS DO. IT THAT BAD?__WEEK235(e1)
You know, when I first saw this topic "Online Friends", I laughed.
Because if someone told me 5 years ago that my closest friends would be people I've never seen in real life, I would have said "God forbid...."lol
But here we are.
I have friends I've never shook hands with. Never hugged. Never sat on same bench with.
But they know when I'm broke. They know when I'm sad. They know when Hive price is down and I'm frustrated 😂
Let me be honest.
In real life, I'm somehow introvert. Not the loud type. I don't like going out too much...
yeah..Crowd drains me.
Online? I'm different. I can type. I can gist. I can post at 2am and someone in Philippines or Ghana will reply "sis are you okay?"
Is that normal? I don't know.
Good side:
Online friends don't judge you by how you look. They don't care if you wore same shirt yesterday. They care about your story, your post, your thoughts.
I have a friend on Hive - we've been talking for like 2 years. We never did video call. But when my Mama was sick last year, she sent me $10. Just like that. "Buy drugs for Mama."
Real life friends didn't even ask.
Also, being introvert is easier online. You can be alone but not lonely. You know that feeling? You're in your room, door locked, but your phone is buzzing with comments, upvotes, "how was your day?"
But the bad side?
Sometimes it makes us lazy.
Why go out and make friends in Onitsha when I can just chat on WhatsApp? Why attend that community meeting when I can stay home and join a Twitter space?
Last December, I realized something. I have like 800 followers online. But when NEPA took light for 3 days and my phone died, only 2 people knocked my door. Two.
And my online best friend? I don't even know her real name.... funny right,I call her ##
We can easily be fooled too. Online people show you what they want you to see. Their best picture. Their best English. You don't know if they are really okay.
So will this end well for us in long run?
I think it depends.
Online friends are not replacement for physical ones. They are addition.
They can't help you when your gas finishes and you need to borrow pot. They can't come and carry your bucket when there's no water.
But they can help your mind. They can help you not feel alone at 1am when you're overthinking.
For me, I think I found balance small small.
I still love my online friends - especially you reading this now ❤️
But now I force myself to go out. Greet neighbor. Buy okpa and gist with the seller. Small things.
Because at the end of the day, phone will die. Data will finish.
But a real hug? That one stays.
So what about you? Do your online friends know you more than real life friends too? Or is it just me?
**IMAGE SOURCE:AI