religious friends

[Edwardo Piet]

In what way?

Kyu

I mean that I think that its more difficult to make a friend online who you also have a "personal" relationship with than to simply have a 'friend' - for obvious reasons. You can't really have a "personal" relationship if you can't physically touch the person.

But you can get to know someone really well without having to touch them I think. And along with them really well. And respect them. And at least consider them a 'friend'.

And you can also have friends who you simply get along with, on the net. Since in my experience its a lot easier to get along with people online overall. This is for someone like me at least.

I find people tend to be too 'normal' offline. Its probably partly to do with the fact they all live in the same area and have similar backgrounds and hang around together in different groups.

I think there's much more variety on the net. And you can get to know a lot more people.

And I think the internet breaks boundaries - it brings people together from all over.

I don't need to meet someone to consider them my friend. If they're my friend they're my friend. Its not physically meeting a person that makes them my friend.

Because there are a lot of people who I DO physically meet who are of course not my friend. Its not like any one I meet physically is my friend.

Because its not meeting someone physically that makes them my friend. Its having a friendship with them.

And I can see that you, Kyu, define friends on your own terms as 'best friends'. And I used to be like that for years online. Now I consider someone my 'best friend' when they're my best friend. I can still consider people simply my 'friend' - it just means I like them a lot more than not. Best friend is best friend and friend is friend for me.

And I don't see why I'd have to physically meet someone to consider them my 'best friend' I'd just have to really know them enough and have known them for long enough.

Because I don't think physically meeting someone is what makes them my friend. Or even - at least for me - boosts them from good friend up to best friend.

I of course like to meet people 'in real life' (which I think is a silly term since obviously the internet is real life. We live in the real world).

But since meeting someone is not what makes them my friend. I think its a bit overated. I think meeting people 'in real life' is of course very important indeed (I do go out lol)...

But I think its second to friendship. Since simply meeting someone physically doesn't 'make them' your friend...

And on the internet I say a lot of things I wouldn't normally have to confidence to honestly say 'in real life'. And I find people on the internet on the whole to be a lot less shy and a lot more honest and outspoken than they are offline 'in real life'.

Probably for the same reason as me - you're less shy and nervous offline. Even if you're a naturally confident person - things that even a very confident person wouldn't normally say - they might say on the internet.

I can't speak for everyone - and not really for anyone, I can only give my own personal observations on the matter - but at least for me. I find the internet very comfortable.

And I tend to find 'real life' a lot more anti-conversation than the internet, in my experience. One of the reasons I think the internet is such a wonderful invention.

In my experience 'offline', 'in real life' - if people aren't too busy to talk they, at least usually, only have the time - or even are only willing to - chit-chat and they won't delve into deep conversation. If they do at all it seems to be a novelty and a special occasion.

Since on the internet it seems you can have a proper conversation almost any time you want - and there's a lot more people to choose from! You can go 'in depth' about things. Rather than just chit-chat when people actually have the time.

And on the internet it seems you can have a reasonable "argument!" on the internet without people considering it serious simply because you disagree with them! Either getting unreasonable with you or wanting to 'break it up' simply because of a disagreement.

I find it very boring when conversation is practically always about very very few disagreements or non at all - when its just agreeing or asking questions. Or the discussions are very mundane and chit-chatty. If you can really call them discussions. At most it seems to be just a bit of banter that is slightly less boring than chit-chatting all the damn time.

I think its the disagreements - and at least the WILLINGNESS to have disagreements - that make conversation interesting. And stop them from breaking off too soon - or from staying very chit-chatty (and in my opinion, very boring and repetitive when its all the time and the only real thing on the menu 'conversation wise' (if you can really call it conversation)).

I think you can converse about things and specifically disagree, argue and debate about things more freely on the internet - on average. If you meet a really good friend offline who has the time to, and is willing to, discuss with you maturely - and also if he/she wants to of course - then that is certainly NOT anti-conversation - its the opposite. When you're speaking about the quality!

But quantity wise, all I am saying with this point - is it seems to me that offline there are an awful lot more people who just want to Chit-chat than there are online. Or rather - online its a lot easier to find people who DON'T JUST want to chit-chat. And are mature and want to have a proper discussion, debate, argument, etc - and they aren't put-off my mere disagreement.

So that as well as the other points I made, are - well, - points I wanted to make that are my opinions on the subject. And how I think the internet helps break down barriers, etc.

Anyone that's enough of my rant. I try to elaborate as it is as much as I can - and I'm not sure how I could have possibly answered your question Kyu, in simpler shorter terms - WITHOUT, I repeat, WITHOUT - simplying having to answer several follow up questions over and over. And I might have had difficulty making myself misunderstood if I didn't post a bigger post somewhere along the way.

I think the answer to your question needs a lot of explaining from me! - since I have a lot to say about my experience on the internet - and I have done my best to explain it.

So apologies for the long reply to a short question - its just that I think it was a short question that needed a big explanation.

And I hope I've at least done an 'O.K' job at giving that explanation - an explanation of my own experience, views, opinions, on online and offline and the comparison between the two. Pros and cons, etc, etc, etc.

Rant ended.
evf