What are the pros and cons of making friends online?
302 Answers
Last Updated: 06/19/2022 at 6:34pm
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For some people it is easier to talk to people online and so it is a way of making friends that is easy and not threatening. Still since it means connecting with strangers the same danger as striking relations with a total strangers are the cons.
Anonymous
March 28th, 2018 4:02am
Pros: Easier to meet like-minded people, can meet people from anywhere in the world, not as awkward.
Cons: You might never actually meet them, could be catfish.
Pros:
1. You have someone to express what you are feeling in the present moment
2. You dont have the feeling that you are isolated
Cons:
1. Internet is a bad place to be trusted on anyone cause we dont know if the friend is really a friend or has a hidden mask that might hamper us.
2. Hackers might steal our personal information while browsing the internet
You might meet some incredible people who will have fantastic impacts on your life, however you may feel the strain of the distance if they are particularly far away. Although they might be a virtual shoulder to cry on, sometimes we just need somebody by our side.
Pros :
1) You get to know a new culture.
2) For some people, it's easier to interact than face to face.
3) It is faster and easier to talk & meet. Forget about crowded streets and having to wear specific clothes for the outing :)
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Cons:
1) It is hard to know and trust the person online 100 % as you can't see his/her emotions and interactions.
2) You won't have to meet so you won't go out to the fresh air much.
3) you won't enjoy some of the perks of meeting a person in person, like talking a walk together, physical interactions like holding hands...etc
From my personal experience, the cons are the possibility of never meeting, not being able to spend time together personally but all of that is countered by online friends being almost always the ones who are there when you need them, who wipe your tears, who always have time for you even if it is only online. They are not simply "online friends", they are true friends, and for me a family.
Pros: There are things that is easier to be said online. So you will not feel pressured because they do not know you to an actual extent that might help you feel comfortable.
Cons: Sometimes we conceal ourselves. We tend to establish our images to what we wish we are. We tend not to tell the truth and say things that will be appropriate and interesting to them. It is like conforming in a different way.
Anonymous
July 12th, 2017 8:21pm
The pros is that you can get connected to people from all around the world, and that you can gind someone with the same interest as you and that the circle of people you'll meet will be biggger, the cons is that maybe those people are faking, and maybe it's an imaginary person lying and pretending to be from the opposite sex(eg: a girl) and get you in trouble
PROS:
Easy Access
Social Buffer
Quantity
and global reach
CONS:
Anonimy
Trust
Lack of physical presences
time zones
Making friends online can be rewarding, as long as you know how to choose them wisely.
Pros:
-discovering new cultures and people from all around the world
-you don't have to be phisically there to talk to them
-since they don't know you in real life, I say, it's easier to open up to them
-Mutual interests, depending on the situation
-it is easy to end the conversation when you have had enough, never crossing your boundaries
-easier way to communicate for people with social anxiety and not only
Cons:
-You can't be close to each other phisically
-You can't know for sure who they are or who they are pretending to be
-Lack of body language due to the phisycal distance, which is also a big factor in a conversation
-Safety always has to be a consideration, not knowing who someone is can be fun, but you can be talking to a dangerous person and have no idea
In conclusion, please be careful how you choose your online friends and be attentive on which information you share with them. If you pick them wisely, they can even be some of the best people you have met!
Anonymous
June 8th, 2017 3:58am
Several pros of making new friends online include the chance to meet people from all over the world. This is something which in the 21st century has become available to everyone who has access to the internet. Another pro could be the ability to have easier communication. There are also some cons in making friends online, perhaps the biggest one is the fact that it is sometimes easy for people to become prey to predators looking to harass, or scam people online.
Pros :
1. You dont need to go anywhere to meet them. You just need at least internet connection.
2. Based on my personal experience, if you find friends in the right place, they can be very kind hearted and sweet.
3. They are easy to keep in touch with.
Cons :
1. You don't know whether this person is faking or not
2. It's a challenge to meet them in real life, because maybe they are not like what you always expected
3. You don't know them
Well, I know it's exciting to have online friends. But there are things that you still need to consider
Anonymous
May 25th, 2017 2:40pm
Pros: less social barriers than real life interactions, new perspectives, anonymity
Cons: people may not be who they say there are and there are different social barriers to chatting online
Anonymous
April 12th, 2017 2:42am
I love meeting new people and getting some fresh perspectives on how to handle issues or challenges that we deal with sometimes on a daily basis. However, as in all internet acquaintances, you should refrain from sharing personal information as the internet often provides a 'smoke' screen and some people may not be 100% honest or have alternative and even harmful motives.
Anonymous
July 22nd, 2016 5:46pm
Making friends online can be a great way to boost self asthma and make you feel wanted and love but sometimes you can run into people who want to be more than 'just friends' Sexual predators is no laughing matter and you should always be careful who you trust.
You have a bigger group of people that might have the same interests as you, might have experienced the same things and through the anonymity many people act more natural around strangers because they have nothing to lose. At the same time they live far away (which does give safety, but makes it harder to meet in person) and it's harder to know if someone isn't just pretending to be the way he is.
It always helps to talk to someone who's non biased about your situation. It's lovely to know there are always people out there who care about you. The cons are living so far away!
Pros: it's easier to talk to people online than in person. You get to know more of their personality because you aren't as distracted by appearance. Cons: you run the risk of the person lying or having malicious intent.
Pros:
Will be someone to talk to
Make you feel less lonely
Support you during difficult times
Cons:
May abandon you
Can be trolls and be very mean to you
You can meet a huge range of poeple that you may not ordinarily meet in real life. However, it can be hard to meet up with them as they may live a huge distance away.
I have a group of friends I met online over ten years ago. Although they don't live near me so we can't go out to do things together physically (although I have met them all at one point and time) they have been there for me through thick and thin - and through all my moves from one state to another. So I think online friendships can be very rewarding - but yeah - sometimes it's nice to have someone to do things with physically.
The good part is having someone to talk to about anything with due to the confidentiality you are under when talking (as you should withold your name and so on), also they can give you a new perspective on things be that through a different culture or even a religious perspective and they can just be amazing as a quick cheer up! However there is a possibility they are faking their age or even their interest which can stress you out more than you need, as well as the fact that online you can misinterpret text ever so easily and misjudge the persons intentions completely
Pros: Maybe you don't have enough friends in real life, and friends online are more tolerant to you than others
Cons: You never know if they are who they say they are.
Anonymous
December 30th, 2016 8:02pm
The pros are being able to meet new people and get to know new people but the cons are that not all people are to be trusted as there is dangerous people in the world.
Making relationships online can create geographically-boundless ties that widen points-of-view and foster support from easy online messaging forums. My own sister from PA, thanks to an artist website where she posted her illustrations, met her girlfriend from NC of 5 years, also an artist. For a vacation, my sister drove to NC to met here, and eventually they moved in together in DE.
However, spending too much time online can also lead to sedentary lifestyles and absence of face-to-face communication in daily lives. You may feel unfulfilled or lethargic from lack of activity.
They aren't always trustworthy and you do not know them so increases risk factors and it might help you feel connected to some people at times. Depends on the person online.
Pros are that you can chat to so many people and become quite a cosmopolitan person but a con is that you don't really have the safety of real life friends.
You can meet people all around the world but the may live too far away from you, but it's really cool
Anonymous
April 5th, 2017 2:53am
Some pro's of having online friends is you can expand your friend group and find people with common interest. Con's on friends online are they are not physically able to comfort you in times of need and you have more space to grow apart. I had a two year online friendship that ended when we grew so apart we hardly knew one another anymore. It takes a lot of effort with online friendships because of the space physically but it can change your life once you connect in person.
Making friends online is so easy! That is certainly one of the biggest advantages of online friendships! They are also typically judgment free and always accessible. However, there are also a few cons. You can never be 100% sure who is on the other end of the conversation. Also, anything said online can be shared in an instant and it is sometimes difficult to transition from online only to real life.
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