I’m sure many people discuss their online relationships on their blogs and the contradictory nature in sharing private, intimate emotions and camaraderie with someone who you’ve never laid eyes on, never heard speak, and might be feeding you a fantastical picture of themselves with no basis for existence in the real world.
Well, I feel the need to jump on that particular bandwagon.
Eventually, we will come up with a new word to describe online friendships that aren’t really friendships, but a coming together of like-minded individuals who don’t care about anything but the shared interests and acceptance found in these anonymous-ish meetings. Until then, I will call those toward whom I feel a fondness, be it filial, fraternal, or otherwise, friends.
I really want to list those folks here, but I worry about forgetting to mention someone or slighting a future friend. I will take this opportunity to say hello to S’presso, whose post today on her blog inspired this one (in a roundabout way, which is how my mind works); Hello, S’presso!
Hello Ed!
You bring up a good point though… How do you describe a friendship with someone you’ve never met?
For someone that spends a lot of time online, it feels natural to just refer to them as “friends”, but talking to someone that lives in the real world (what a silly place..) they always find it strange when you feel a friendship with someone you have never met, and in all likelihood, will never meet.
Curious phenomena.