[Don Draper]

Can 2 people really consider themselves friends when they've only communicated with each other over the computer? I think that you can consider your selves friends with someone to a certain extent but you don't really know a person until you've spent some time with them in person.

There's also the trust factor, you can't completely trust anyone on the internet because they can tell you they're whoever they want you to think they are (V1 Dante comes to mind) but then again some people are open and honest with certain people they like and trust so they are their true selves to those people and talk a lot making their bond stronger even though they might not even know how the other looks.

What do you guys think, can you really consider yourself friends with someone who you've never met and only talk to over the internet?

 

[MrMister]

Catfish.

Despite Catfish, yeah I think you can. Not to the level of connectedness as you can in person face to face of course. It's like pen pals of the days of eld.

Also before that concept, going way back, people wrote to one another all the time.

 

[Don Draper]

That's a good point, when you think about it we're all pen pals (or e-pen pals) except we don't have to waste money on stamps.

 

[Role Model]

I think so, if you're speaking to someone every single day basically (not just in a forum environment), why wouldn't you consider them a friend of sorts? unless you or the other person's not really being themselves, if that the cause it's worthless.

you're right about the possibilities of you not knowing what the friendship is or how strong it is till a face to face meet in theory, but that's neither here or there. it either works out in person and the friendship gets stronger or it crashes and burns in the most epic of painful ways that leaves you haunted and screwed up for life and questioning your very foundations leading you into a downward spiral that you never truly recovery from.

 

[Cerbs]

Nope.

Communicating over a forum lets people mask whatever they want about themselves, and you never know for sure just who you're dealing with. Despite how well you get along with them.

You're only truly someone's friend when you can accept them for all their imperfections and inadequacies. Over the internet, you only get the info about a person they WANT you to have.

So no, it's not possible. There are "friends" and there are "efriends". All but one person on this forum are the latter to me. Not that I would ever be opposed to upgrading those friendship statuses one day, I just simply don't consider them "TRUE friends" until I've met them in person and converse with them regularly. Because if we meet in person, who's to say I won't discover something about them that puts me off? What if they discover something about me that does the same? There's just too much uncertainty that comes from internet friendships.

I don't find anything wrong with efriendships either. I treat everyone the same way on the internet as I would in person depending on how they treat/accept me. But give me a break, I'm not going to trust you to watch my child just because we like the same wrestlers.

 

[Role Model]

Basically anyone from the internet should never be on the same level as 3D friends, if you have them above the ones in the real world you're in trouble.

efriends is a good way to describe them, not sure why i forgot that term.

 

[Zen]

Not really unless I know what they look like, you can never know that everything they're saying is fake.

 

[Rush]

There are "friends" and there are "efriends". All but one person on this forum are the latter to me. Not that I would ever be opposed to upgrading those friendship statuses one day, I just simply don't consider them "TRUE friends" until I've met them in person and converse with them regularly. Because if we meet in person, who's to say I won't discover something about them that puts me off? What if they discover something about me that does the same? There's just too much uncertainty that comes from internet friendships.

I don't find anything wrong with efriendships either. I treat everyone the same way on the internet as I would in person depending on how they treat/accept me. But give me a break, I'm not going to trust you to watch my child just because we like the same wrestlers.

that pretty much.

 

[dan the marino]

I don't see why not, I mean if you talk to the same people every day and have the same interests as them, then what's the problem? They wouldn't be as close as actual friends though; as Cerbs said, they can hide anything from you that they wouldn't want you to know about them.

 

[devlish]

Friendly... yes, Friends ... No

 

[FITZ]

I think so, if you're speaking to someone every single day basically (not just in a forum environment), why wouldn't you consider them a friend of sorts? unless you or the other person's not really being themselves, if that the cause it's worthless.

you're right about the possibilities of you not knowing what the friendship is or how strong it is till a face to face meet in theory, but that's neither here or there. it either works out in person and the friendship gets stronger or it crashes and burns in the most epic of painful ways that leaves you haunted and screwed up for life and questioning your very foundations leading you into a downward spiral that you never truly recovery from.

I can just picture a young and innocent Role Model getting all excited to meet his first online "friend" in person....

I consider myself friends with 2 posters on here but I met them in person (never knew them before here though). It's possible to make friends here but I personally think you have to meet them to pass from "efriend" to "friend"

 

[just1988]

I'm friends with a girl who I've only met about 5 times in the 5 years I've known her mainly because we chat online from time to time.

 

[MrMister]

Nope.

Communicating over a forum lets people mask whatever they want about themselves, and you never know for sure just who you're dealing with. Despite how well you get along with them.

You're only truly someone's friend when you can accept them for all their imperfections and inadequacies. Over the internet, you only get the info about a person they WANT you to have.

So no, it's not possible. There are "friends" and there are "efriends". All but one person on this forum are the latter to me. Not that I would ever be opposed to upgrading those friendship statuses one day, I just simply don't consider them "TRUE friends" until I've met them in person and converse with them regularly. Because if we meet in person, who's to say I won't discover something about them that puts me off? What if they discover something about me that does the same? There's just too much uncertainty that comes from internet friendships.

I don't find anything wrong with efriendships either. I treat everyone the same way on the internet as I would in person depending on how they treat/accept me. But give me a break, I'm not going to trust you to watch my child just because we like the same wrestlers.

People wear masks and put up fronts face to face too. It's definitely easier to see through this face to face of course unless they're really good liars/con men.

You'd be a fucking moron to trust anyone you don't know well with anything important. That's obvious. People have to pass tests and prove themselves through action before you can trust them and vice versa.

 

[Postage]

Over the forum doesn't fly. If you speak on msn daily and webcam/speak on the phone a lot then you could consider someone a friend. Cerbs post makes it sound like you're looking for a life partner or something, no pun intended ;D.

I don't see it as a big deal to call someone online a friend. Then again, I would probably never agree to meet one in person. Not for safety issues or anything but I'm just weird like that. Plus why potentially ruin a good thing.

 

[KingofFunk412]

I met a friend on a forum about 5 years ago. We started talking on MSN a lot and played games online with each other with other people from the forum. We also know what we look like, because we're friends on Facebook now. I consider us friends. I think a better debate would be if you can have a dating-like relationship with someone who you've only talked to over the internet and never have seen/talked to in real life.

 

[Tempest]

A true friend is defined differently from person to person. I wouldn't consider a "friend" from the internet a true friend by my own definition. I have, like the others posted, "eFriends" but I don't see myself meeting up with these people in the real world.

 

[Hiplop]

i consider them aquatances or efriends.

 

[CC91]

Im not friends with anyone on the internet, but if you go on chatrooms, you find that hot girls are 40 year old men

 

[IJ]

Yes. You can still share things and talk about things, so yes.

 

[Chadwick Winebarger]

If it's someone that you enjoy conversing with sure why not.