Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Online Friendships
Reading the Room For Debate article "Real relationships in a digital world?" got me thinking about how common online relationships are. While not always in a romantic way, people connect with others on a daily basis and think nothing of it. On one side of the debate, it is said how making friends is easier online because the normal barriers of friendship do not apply online. It simplifies the whole process, and if you are like me and really socially awkward, it saves you from making a fool of yourself. On the other side of the debate, it gives the point that there is no trust online. People can present themselves in a completely different way than they normally are. That can be a major issue and lead to some problems. In the end, it all depends of the situation of the matter. I, however, like the idea of making new friends online because at the end of the day, they are still just a person behind the screen.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree with you wholeheartedly Heather, online relationships are quite dangerous and it's easier than ever to pretend to be someone else on the internet. Has anyone seen the show Catfish? Literally 90% of the time the person isn't the person they thothey were talking to. I believe it's okay to have friends on the internet, but relationships are another story. If you want a relationship with someone, try face to face rather than hide behind a computer screen. We must be careful who we accept as our friends on the internet and be sure you yourself are not being catfished.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that interacting with people behind a screen is easier than talking with people in person. However, with interacting with people behind a screen you lose that physical interaction. Friendships behind a screen are harder to build, because you can't really be as close and personal. I know with things like Skype you can interact with people face to face, but you can't really trust that person. As you stated, people act differently online than in real life. You don't know if the person is being genuinely nice or in actuality they're being really shady. At the end of the day, I think it's okay to make friends online, however, you should always be careful and wary about who you trust online.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAs someone with internet friends, I agree with this. Yes, it's easier making friends online because there's not as many barriers as a friendship in real life. I also agree that trust plays a huge factor to online relationships whether it is romantic or not. Although, I think it's easy to find out if someone is lying about themselves. Rudy mentioned the show "Catfish", and I agree that the show proves people lie about who they are online. However, the clues are obvious; the person should've already known. People make online relationships and friendships seem so dangerous. I understand that it can be, but there can also be a positive outcome. For instance, my orthodontist met his wife on Facebook and they live happily together, and I met friends through Twitter and we have fun talking about our favorite shows all the time. So, I think that you can trust people online enough to befriend them, and real relationships in the digital world can happen.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Heather. Although there is some controversy in trusting people who may or may not be who they say they are it is easiest to hide your emotions behind a screen instead of facing someone in person.
ReplyDelete