An internet friend is something I’m sure most everybody who actively uses the internet is familiar with. Whether you have one, two or ten, you know how difficult it can become to maintain the same connection over time. If you do not yet have one, you understand how complicated it can be to find that one person you can genuinely connect with.
I met my internet friend online in early 2014, which seems like ages ago. We were put into a group chat that was created by another girl that I no longer talk to. Although the group chat was filled with at least ten other girls, it slowly died out with one person leaving every day. Somehow her and I, along with the creator, seemed to be the only ones still interested in staying in touch. Eventually, we cut ties with the creator which left only the two of us. That was more than three years ago. Now it is 2017 and against all odds, we are still able to tolerate each other. In fact, we met in person last summer at a concert and are planning on reuniting this coming summer. But it is not always that easy to find a long-lasting friendship online. I’m here to, hopefully, help someone figure out where to begin when searching for an internet friend.
Be Yourself
I know, I know. You’ve heard this one before. But this will never not be important. In the modern world of catfish, hackers and other online threats, being your true self should be your top priority. No one wants to discover that the person they became friends with was pretending to be someone else. Honesty is key in every type of relationship, friendships included. So tell the truth, because only in doing that will you and your friend feel comfortable enough to open up to each other.
Be Ready to Listen
We all go through moments in our lives where we feel like nothing good could happen. In those moments we want nothing more than for somebody to let us rant, to listen to us. While the ability to communicate is great in any personality, the ability to genuinely take in every word that somebody is telling you and give them advice or words of encouragement is even greater in my opinion. Along with that, if you are looking for an internet friend, odds are you aren’t very good at making friends “in real life”. Whether this is due to social anxiety or just plain awkwardness, the idea of removing the pressure of a face-to-face conversation is one of the main reasons why these friendships are so important. A person may feel ignored when they try to speak to someone at school. Do not make them feel like that, let them rant and give advice only when needed.
Be the One to Say Something First
Communication is literally the only way to start a friendship. Within a pair of friends, there tends to be one who is a little more outgoing, the one who begins a majority of the conversations. But when you find someone who strikes you as someone you would be friends with, you need to approach them. Simply following them on social media will not be enough indication to them that you are looking for a friendship. You don’t need to do much either, just message them a quick ‘hey’, or reply to one of their tweets that features something you have in common. Don’t think that if you like a few tweets here and there, they’ll get the hint. Take a second to think about how you want to approach them, and then make the move. Trust me, everyone appreciates someone who is brave enough to start the very first conversation with their future best friend.
Find common ground, work from there.
I give you these tips with hope that someday soon you are able to build up the confidence to message that one person you’ve always wanted to be friends with. I speak from experience, and I can tell you right now that I consider my personal internet friend to be my best friend. I hope that each of you reading this can find someone as special as I have.
