Are online friends 'real' friends?

[SlayerOfLight]

Way to go off topic. How can you argue Responsibility and Watchfulness with such a low percentage of actual threats to your security.

Another way to go offtopic. I have my Anti-virus system to deal with threats to my security, but my common sense to THINK before calling someone on the internet a ''best friend''.

[Carl]

Way to go off topic. How can you argue Responsibility and Watchfulness with such a low percentage of actual threats to your security.

Another way to go offtopic. I have my Anti-virus system to deal with threats to my security, but my common sense to THINK before calling someone on the internet a ''best friend''.

Implying people don't think before doing such a thing? I put a lot of thought into everything I do. Online or not, people still have to earn my trust. The best friends I have ever known have been online. When I have problems irl people never try to help me, but Tora always does, and so do a couple of other people I know online. There are loads of people online I would never trust. There's loads of people irl I'd never trust. As of yet, I've been given less reason to trust people irl than online, even though I've had someone I met online completely lie to me 100% of the time I spoke to that person. It's a person-by-person basis, not an online-vs.-irl one.

[ScarsLove]

Let bygones be bygones.

You can't 100% trust everyone you meet on the internet. People have gotten themselves kidnapped and killed following that logic. You need to have more caution when engaging a person on the internet. Sure life to short not to trust everyone, however it will be shorter if you 100% trust the wrong person and something like I just said above might happen. Caution people, caution is the key word. You even need it irl too.

[Carl]

I don't have the desire to put my whole life on the internet and tell people I don't know.

To say, or to even imply that online friends are better than RL-friends is a laughable statement.
Call me once an online friend can put an arm around you via the internet.

It's all about limits. The internet has it's limits.

If the person's a true friend it doesn't matter if they can put an arm around you or not. Besides, some people irl can't do that, either. Some people don't have arms, others aren't comfortable touching people. If someone's a good friend, they can make you feel good with words, irl or not. And besides, if someone is a good online friend, then eventually they'll meet up irl and then they can do those things.

[SlayerOfLight]

Implying people don't think before doing such a thing? I put a lot of thought into everything I do. Online or not, people still have to earn my trust. The best friends I have ever known have been online. When I have problems irl people never try to help me, but Tora always does, and so do a couple of other people I know online. There are loads of people online I would never trust. There's loads of people irl I'd never trust. As of yet, I've been given less reason to trust people irl than online, even though I've had someone I met online completely lie to me 100% of the time I spoke to that person. It's a person-by-person basis, not an online-vs.-irl one.

But still, internet ''best friends'' cannot be compared with best friends in real life. You can ask them for advice when you need help and talk with them, but that's about it. Real life best friends can do alot more for you.

[Tora]

Way to go off topic. How can you argue Responsibility and Watchfulness with such a low percentage of actual threats to your security.

Another way to go offtopic. I have my Anti-virus system to deal with threats to my security, but my common sense to THINK before calling someone on the internet a ''best friend''.

If by think you mean "FEAR." How can you justly argue that it's to think? Why on earth would you distrust someone just because they're not standing right in front of you? It isn't common sense. Of course you don't give your address out to them unless you have really gotten to know them. If you're talking to them over Skype you know it's not a 40 year old man praying on you. Just saying.

Let bygones be bygones.

You can't 100% trust everyone you meet on the internet. People have gotten themselves kidnapped and killed following that logic. You need to have more caution when engaging a person on the internet. Sure life to short not to trust everyone, however it will be shorter if you 100% trust the wrong person and something like I just said above might happen. Caution people, caution is the key word. You even need it irl too.

Following that logic you should expect everyone to be the Craigslist Killer.

Real life best friends can do alot more for you.

What does this have to do with online friends being real?

The internet has it's limits. Skype is not personal. The internet is a medium, like the telephone or the television. Once all human senses can be applied over the internet, I may change my mind.

Your mind is your mind. I'm not going to debate this and get it locked like the last thread.

[InsaneSeagull]

Following that logic you should expect everyone to be the Craigslist Killer.

Following your logic everyone is an angel from heaven who can not commit any harm.

But how can you prove that someone IRL isn't 'under the mask'?

[InsaneSeagull]

I don't think it's THAT easier online. You can't lie about gender and years, but still you can be plotting many things.

[SlayerOfLight]

If by think you mean "FEAR."

No, but I'd rather be fearfull then gullible.

Why on earth would you distrust someone just because they're not standing right in front of you? It isn't common sense.

Ok, so you're saying it's common sense to believe that everyone on earth is a saint?

Of course you don't give your address out to them unless you have really gotten to know them. If you're talking to them over Skype you know it's not a 40 year old man praying on you. Just saying

So only 40 year old men, and not young people have bad intensions according to you? Sure, that makes sense.

What does this have to do with online friends being real?

That was directed towards Juliette.

[Tora]

Ok, so you're saying it's common sense to believe that everyone on earth is a saint?

So you'd judge someone before you know them? Perfect logic.