People have been arguing about whether making friends online is meaningful or petty, but for sure, this goes without any doubt: there are countless meaningful benefits of friendships we make on the internet and online.
Online friendship can be defined as making friends from social media platforms for socialization, interacting, sharing ideas, or even for intimacy purposes.
This essay will discuss the benefits of making online friendships and how meaningful they are to our day-to-day lives. It will also mention what other people say about online friendship and their disadvantages.
In our Society today, the internet and online platforms have created many possibilities and opportunities where people can meet, interact, and socialize. It is easy for people to meet online and on social media and get connected (Gil et al.,p.3). Meaningful friendship today can be easy because some people don’t trust the people around them, and meeting new friends online makes it easier and more attractive to many young and older adults. Many people, especially those who suffer from loneliness and those who have separated, find it better to make friends online who keep them busy and, to some extent, a warm affection of love and caring (Dan G Blazer,p 20). People also need emotional support and human interactions, especially when alone and isolated. Social media platforms and the internet provide solutions to this in an amicable way.
The other advantage of online friendship is that during stressful times, one can reach their friends online and connect with them via virtual platforms. Due to straining social and economic hardships, people more often find themselves either stressed or even depressed. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many people were jobless, there were lockdowns and strokes, and some friends ran away. Stress was eminent, and people suffered from depression; those who managed to make online friendships were in an advantageous position because they never became lonely and they were always in touch with their friends around the globe.
The world becomes a global village when we enlarge our friendship circle through social circles. In this manner, you can meet people around the world whom you add to your family of friends. It does not matter what city or state you live in; you connect to people with different social and cultural beliefs and values. Getting to know and appreciate people’s way of life brings about understanding and cooperation in many ways.
The other advantage of online friendships is meeting people with similar interests. When you meet people with whom you share common interests, striking a communication becomes simple. Because of areas of common interests, discussions never become boring. Moreover, online friends find themselves achieving their goals because of the passion and motivation they get from each other.
To strike up a discussion online is easier virtually compared to one-on-one. In online communications, people are free and open to sharing their feelings and thoughts without prejudice or judgment. (Comunello, Francesca, et al. p.4). Some of the concerns and issues that people go through are confidential and secretive, and because some people find it difficult to share with their friends face to face, virtual conversations strike an ideal deal for this.
On the other hand, some people argue that making friends online and on social media platforms is not a good idea because deep connections are not guaranteed due to a lack of physical presence and attachment. When deep connection is not guaranteed, people tend to lose trust in one another, and sharing confidential conversations and information may need to be better executed.
Other people argue that meeting and making online friendships may be dangerous because deception and personification may occur. This is because you cannot be In a position to know who is online, and your friend’s devices can be used and logged in by other people without their knowledge. This can put your personal information at risk.
Some other people claim that online friendship is petty and pricky because it creates a good avenue for cyberbullying. Some people with evil intentions find virtual platforms a suitable avenue for cyberbullying and molesting others online. Hiding in the name of socializing, they hack the accounts and online apps of their online friends and put either their data or information at risk.
In this technological world and with the increasing use of online platforms, some people think that there is a potential for addiction to them. This reduces the rate of productivity in our social and economic world. Some people, like students, will drop in their academic work due to their prolonged time online. In the corporate world, workers and employees perform poorly because they spend more time interacting with their online friends than executing their duties (Mark Anthony Camilleri et al., p.4). However, these arguments don’t add up and have no viable justification for not making friends online and connecting with people globally. It is evident that online friendship has meaningful and beneficial advantages.
In conclusion, this essay has discussed the benefits of making online friendships and how meaningful they are to our day-to-day lives. It has also mentioned what other people have to say about online friendship and their disadvantages. This essay has discussed the benefits of making online friendships and how meaningful they are to our day-to-day lives. It also mentions what other people say about online friendship and their disadvantages. Online platforms allow people to connect, interact, and socialize; when stressed, one can reach their friends and share their emotions. Also, online interactions enlarge the circle of friends around the globe.
Work Cited
Appel, Gil, et al. “The Future of Social Media in Marketing.” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 48, no. 1, 12 Oct. 2019, pp. 79–95, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11747-019-00695-1? https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-019-00695-1. Accessed 24 Dec. 2023. Comunello, Francesca, et al. “Youngsplaining” and Moralistic Judgements: Exploring Ageism through the Lens of Digital “Media Ideologies.” Aging and Society, 29 Sept. 2020, pp. 1–24, https://doi.org/10.1017/s0144686x20001312.
Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Review and Commentary of a National Academies Report
By Nancy J Donovan, Dan G Blazer Container: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry Publisher: Elsevier BV Year: 2020 Volume: 28 Issue: 12 DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2020.08.005 URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1064748120304425 Strategic attributions of corporate social responsibility and environmental management: The business case for doing well by doing good!
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