Most people active online are having net friends, chat friends , E- friends whom they have never met in their real life and this trend seems to be even more with the younger generation of these days. Is friendship a scarce commodity that we cannot find it in real life or just that we are interested in friendship which has no attachments. Well in my case I have been working away from my family and family for a considerable amount of time and after a long hard day’s work I do not have the time and energy to socialize and hence my getaway is the social networking site chatting with friends made on the net and also with family/ friends from back home. After sometime it had become a regular habit of going online and playing poker or mafia on face book and chatting with various girlfriends I picked up in these games. It was becoming addictive and one fine day nearly year back just deleted poker and mafia games and friends except for couple of them who made me feel comfortable.
Looking back I had been browsing social networking sites like ICQ, yahoo ,IFF nearly 10 years back and till date I have retained two friends of that era who still care for me anytime we chat and vice versa…and we have never met in real life. Each of us on the net search for a soul mate with whom you could be friends to share intimate details which cannot be shared with your better half for in real life you hardly find such a friend. And in case you do ever meet up with your net friend in real life the whole illusion of soul mate shatters!!!!
I still have never been able to figure out the reason for looking for a friend on the net in social networking sites? Is it because the net friend is just a computer screen in front of you instead of the real person and you are able to discuss the weirdest fantasy without being embarrassed for you may never ever come to face with the person whom you are chatting!! Or is it because the person is withdrawing to himself/herself wanting only imaginary friends or is this quest of friendship a sort of escape mechanism from our day to day mundane routine?? I have no answers to it!!!!
It is a well known fact that there are predators and weirdoes on the net who are stalking people and yet I am amazed that women on the social networking sites quite trust their online partners giving out personal details, mobile phone numbers and their personal details. People need to be careful for it could lead to unnecessary complications.
I still keep in touch with few online friends I have made over the period of time and I am proud have been their friend for they have been a pillar of strength during the harrowing times I have gone through and even today. I have been very lucky to find such friends on the net…. Whom I will never meet in my lifetime!!!!
I would say that lifestyles have changed and today we have the option of the social networking to seek out similar minded people.
ReplyDeleteBefore the age of the internet, there were other means and probably there was more of an effort to not drift away from friend.
I have personally met 2 of my friends whom I met first online and we still talk. I think the definition people we call friends has not changed. We just assume they are friends because they exist on a list. Most of those are acquaintances.
Totally agree that there is a drastic change in lifestyles in present times and we hardly find time to spend quality time with our loved ones ....social networking has been a boon to be in touch with your old friends whom you are not able to meet face to face. Thanks for the comments Sriram
DeleteI agree ...at times you do meet people online you love to talk to and many a times they go on to become good friends also ...
ReplyDeleteThanks TTT and yes it could turn out to the best thing in your life too !!
DeleteI agree with TTT above. While there is no denying the pitfalls and hazards of online friendships but at times you do meet people with whom you share many interests and whom you may never have met otherwise.
ReplyDeleteTrue Umashanker and thanks for your comment.
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