Online Friends: Can You Make Real Friends on The Internet

'Online friends are not equal to real life friends'. This is a sweeping statement. However, we can agree to a large extent that online friends are not equal to real life friends. Online friends can be defined as friends or acquaintances that one interacts with purely through the medium of the Internet. Real life friends, on the other hand, are friends that we have met and interact in society. So can you make real friends on the internet? It can be argued that the recent advances in information technology have allowed online friends to be equal to friends in real life. As not only is there an inherent risk in developing online relationships, there are also things that one can do together with friends in real life that can't be done with online friends.

Online friends can be as good as friends in real life. Advances in information technology have allowed people living on different continents to get to know each other well without even meeting face-to-face once. For example, video calling has allowed people to 'meet' face-to-face through the use of video streaming. Through this, online friends will be able to interact in the same way that friends in real life do. For example, applications such as Skype offer free video calling services over the internet, allowing online friends to be able to interact face to face, just like friends in real life are able to.

However, friends in real life are superior to online friends, as with friends in real life, one can meet up and interact in person, and will be able to better able to assess the person's character. This is because, with online friends, we usually only see lines of text in instant messages, and are unable to see the person's body language, and tone. This severely limits the extent which online friends can get to know each other, thus handicapping the relationship eventually. Furthermore, online friends who wish to further their online acquaintances will usually arrange to meet up with the other party, making the transition from online to real-life friends. Also, one would not be able to go out for a meal or to meet up to have a chat with online friends, especially if the other party lives in another country. Hence, there are some enjoyable activities that can't be done together with online friends.

Furthermore, having online friends is also a form of risk. This is because on the internet, there is no knowing if the person is who he says that he is, as in chatrooms and on social networks, people can choose not to put their real names, and hide their true identity. These people pose a threat to the unwary internet user, as they can have ulterior motives such as the intension to steal your identity. Hence, when making friends online, one must also be careful. This will lead to many people having reservations about making or furthering online friendships.

To conclude, that online friends are not equal to real-life friends. This is because, one can interact better with friends in real life, and be better able to further the relationship. Also, there is a risk associated with establishing and furthering online relationships. However, with the technology today, it is easier than ever for online friends to make the transition into real-life friends, through the use of technologies such as video calling. Hence, online friends are not equal to real-life friends.