Virtual friendships: Making connections in online communities
What's the story
Making friends online might sound odd to older generations, but it's not a newfangled idea. The concept of pen pals has been around for decades, where people used to write letters without ever meeting face-to-face. Virtual friendships are just the tech-savvy version of those good old pen pal connections. Though the medium has changed, the desire for meaningful connections remains as strong as ever.
Stats
Over half of the teenage population have online friends
According to this 2015 research, 57% of teens have met a new friend online, with 29% of teens indicating that they have made more than five new friends in online venues. However, the majority of these friendships stayed purely digital, with only 20% of teens meeting their online friends in person. These modern friendships predominantly blossomed on social media platforms and through online gaming.
Gender twist
Gender twist in the online friendship space
Boys tend to make online friends more often than girls, with 61% of boys compared to 52% of girls having done so. But here's where things get interesting: girls are more likely to make friends via social media (78% vs. 52% of boys), while boys are substantially more likely to make friends while playing video games online (57% vs. 13% of girls).
Medium
Mode of communication
For many teens, texting has been the go-to medium to connect with online friends. But when it comes to online gaming, especially for boys, they bond over voice connections, cracking jokes, collaborating, and throwing some epic trash-talk. As they play, hang out, and chat during gaming sessions, the virtual friendships get a boost, making these teens feel even closer to their gaming buddies.
Social media
Social media as the facilitator
In the world of online social spaces, each platform offers unique opportunities for forming connections. Reddit allows users to explore niche subreddits and connect with like-minded individuals who share their passions. On Instagram, photo-sharing, stories, and comments foster connections. Likewise, Facebook and other such platforms enable people to reconnect with old friends, meet new ones, and engage in various interest-based groups and events.
Downsides
The downsides of virtual friendships
Online friendships can be awesome, but it's good to be aware of the risks. Many scammers pretend to be our friends and try to scam us for money. Seeing friends' "perfect" lives on social media may make people feel dissatisfied with their own. And let's not forget about catfishing, where people pretend to be someone else to take advantage of our good nature.