The Kat Life

how I'm choosing to live my best life

Main Categories
Seasonal
Holiday
Katherine Moon
Katherine Isabella Moon
Meow, hello there, my name is Katherine, but you can call me Kat; because I basically am a cat. Anyways, I am a 26-year-old, lifestyle blogger, with an INFP-T personality type, from the United States. I love fashion, the color pink, cats, dogs, and spending all my time on my computer. I'm often seen wearing cat ears headbands.
The Kat Life
The Kat Life

how I'm choosing to live my best life

Thursday, March 12, 2020

14 Beautiful Things About Online Friendships

Laptop on desk in front of world map
Photo courtesy of Andrijana Bozic on Unsplash

I would like to dedicate this post to all of my online friends. Thank you all for being so amazing! As someone who wasn't exactly popular in school, and has always had a hard time making friends in real life, social media has actually been quite a blessing for me. Not only has it made it easier for me to make friends, in general, but it has made it possible for me to connect with people that I have a lot in common with from all over the world. As a matter of fact, I actually have a deeper connection with some of my online friends than I do with anybody that I know in real life. I am sure that many people who have close friends that they've met through the internet can relate to this to some degree. Online friends are sincerely a blessing.

Although maybe we should call them long-distance friends, as I honestly consider a lot of my online friends to be my real-life friends. Even though they might live father away, and we might not have met in person, it doesn't make the friendship any less real. I honestly wish that older people would understand this! But whatever you choose to call them, we should all take a moment to appreciate the beauty of online friendships, because they are absolutely something special.


14 Beautiful Things About Online Friendships


1 - Your initial judgment of each other isn't as influenced by other people's opinions.

As I said before, I had a super hard time making friends in school. Once a few people in my school had decided that I would make a good target for bullying and that I didn't fit in, there weren't very many people who openly wanted to be my friend and be seen hanging out with me. I would always try to make friends with new students, but just as a friendship starts to form, other people would quickly swoop in and change that. But online, there is typically little to no influence from other people. Usually, you know little to nothing about each other in the beginning, aside from what you initially bonded over. You haven't heard anything about each other from classmates or coworkers, to influence how you view each other. Sure, there are a few exceptions to this, as some online communities can be quite toxic, but generally, when you meet a new online friend, you have a clean slate with them.


2 - You get to choose what you share with them. 

Seriously, you're in control in terms of what they know about you. If you're not comfortable sharing something with them, you don't have to. When you do want to reveal something to them, you get to do so on your own terms, and they'll hear it from you, not from someone else. They don't know you in real life, and they probably don't know anyone that you know in real life either. You get to choose how much of yourself you reveal to them. It's up to you whether or not you share your deepest secrets or your past with them. It's also up to you how much of your silly side you allow them to see.


3 - You're secrets are often the safest with them.

Your online friends probably don't talk to anybody that you know in real life a whole lot, if at all. So you can tell them just about anything without worrying about them spilling the beans to anyone in your life. Besides, with the special bond that you have, neither of you would want to anyway. Personally, I tell my online friends everything, because I know that they're far more likely to keep it a secret than anyone I know in real life. They're also less judgmental about it than people I know in real life, whether it's serious or silly. Plus, they're often far more eager to listen as well.


4 - They give the best advice!

Not only are online friends the best listeners, but they also give the best advice. When you vent to them about something that you're dealing with, they can offer you a fresh perspective, as they are not directly involved, and they exclusively have your best interest and your happiness at heart. A lot of the time, they will have your back and encourage you to do what you feel is best. Although sometimes, they may also give you a little tough love as well if they know that something is hurting you or that you need to work on something. Regardless, with online friends, their advice comes from a caring place. Their only agenda is to see you happy.


5 - They are often the most supportive of you.

Let's face it. It can be hard to get your family and real-life friends to support you in a lot of things. As a matter of fact, sometimes you just can't get them on board with what you want, or to see your vision. You can't make them understand what you're feeling. Sometimes, they just don't get it and don't seem to want to get it. But even if your parents don't understand, and your friends from school or work don't understand, your online friends will at least try to understand and give you their support, rather than their judgment. I must say that regardless of whether they completely understand what you're doing or not, it's nice to have someone genuinely cheering you on.

Also, side note, but if you're looking for a little support or encouragement with something specific, there are online communities for almost everything. Whether you're looking to make a positive change to your lifestyle, take up a new hobby, or start a blog, there is an online community for you.


6 - You can build up each other's confidence.

We're all only human, and we can be pretty hard on ourselves. Sometimes we also just need a little reassurance or someone to cheer us on. Once again, this may be hard to get from your family or at school/work. Sometimes it's actually family and people you know in real life that cause you to doubt yourself, even if it isn't their intention. But your online friends see the best in you, just as you see the best in them. You sincerely believe in each other and want to bring out the best in each other. You cheer each other on. You remind each other of your best traits. The same goes for any healthy friendship, but this just goes to show that online friendships are just as great as in-person friendships.


7 - There is almost always someone to talk to.

Although timezones can sometimes be a bit tricky with international friends, when you have friends from all over the world, there is almost always someone to talk to, no matter what time it is for you. You may not have someone to talk to literally 24/7, but if you have a friend on the other side of the world, you're likely to have someone to talk to at 2:30 AM when you can't sleep, and it's late afternoon for them.


8 - The internet makes it possible to make friends that you'd swear are your long lost twins.

Have you ever met a new online friend, and discovered that the two of you are a lot alike, in enough ways that it seems that there's another you out there? Are you basically twinning in terms of your interests and/or life experiences? Do you sometimes swear that the two of you were meant to be twins? I have a couple of online friends that I could say this about, but I can't say the same about anybody that lives within a 100-mile radius of where I live. Seriously, I love the fact that social media makes it possible to connect with people that you'd have otherwise never met. Those people can turn out to be the best people to ever come into your life, as you can be fully yourself with them. I mean, you're practically twins anyway. So why not just be yourselves with each other?


9 - You bond over things that no one you know in real life fully understands.

Odds are, you and your online friend met because of something that you have in common. Whether you have similar tastes, beliefs, struggles, senses of humor, or whatever, you probably met because of something that you have in common. Perhaps something that nobody that you know in real life is into, or fully understands, but your online friend totally gets it. The two of you can go on for hours about the things that you bond over, and they won't get sick of hearing you talk about the little-known facts about your favorite video game. Nor will they get bored of you sharing related memes with them. More than likely, they'll actually enjoy it and do the same in return.


10 - You can learn about other cultures through them.

Personally, I love learning about other cultures and about how people live in other countries, and you can learn a lot about different cultures through your international friends. Heck, I've learned quite a bit about other cultures through some of my internet friends that live right here in the United States. More often than not, as long as you're respectful, they are willing to share with you, and they'll likely be a little curious about your culture as well. It's intriguing to learn about other cultures and life in other countries from someone who actually lives it. You also get to learn about some of the little things that you rarely hear about that are unique to their region.


11 - You're not actually that limited in the ways that you can bond.

While you may not be able to go on regular shopping trips and coffee dates with your internet bestie, that doesn't mean that there aren't a ton of other ways that you can bond and spend time with each other. Not only can you video chat with each other, but you can even watch movies or videos together. If you play the same video games, you can play the game with each other. You can send each other memes, GIFs, and stickers. Seriously, there are a ton of things that you can do with your online friends, aside from just DMing or texting each other. Tag each other in posts, send each other e-cards. I could go on and on.

Heck, forget what I said earlier about not being able to go on shopping trips or coffee dates together. Perhaps the two of you could do some online shopping together (even if neither of you actually end up buying anything) and have a coffee date over FaceTime. You're only limited by your imagination.


12 - It's easy to stay inside of your social comfort zone.

Sometimes, one of the best things about your friends living hundreds or thousands of miles away is just that; they live farther away. You don't feel obligated to go on regular outings with them, and there is no pressure to go anywhere or anything that you're not comfortable with. You don't have to worry about them trying to drag you to the club if clubbing isn't your thing. Seriously, how you choose to interact with your online friends is ultimately up to you. It's up to both of you whether you're comfortable with a meetup or not, and more often than not, in a healthy friendship, they'll be very understanding of your comfort zone with meeting up too. And as I said earlier, what you choose to share with them is your choice.


13 - If you do choose to meet in person, it's absolutely amazing!

How often do you get to meet up with someone that lives far away from you in person? Let's be real, even with family or friends you already knew in person, not very often. With internet friends, it's even more of a rarity. Unless you live within a reasonable driving distance of each other, it requires a lot of planning to meet up with each other in person. So when you do plan a meetup, you will sincerely be looking forward to it. It might just be one of the best days of your life when you're able to actually hug them in person and actually go on a coffee date together.


14 - Being friends with them is 100% a choice.

Odds are, you talk to your internet friends because you want to talk to them, and you enjoy talking to them. You're not just cordial with each other because you work together or because you're neighbors. You didn't grow up with each other because your parents were friends. You don't have to see this person at all. You don't have to have any contact or interaction with them, but you choose to. And not only do you enjoy talking to them, but you look forward to their messages.



As long as you know who you're talking to, and it's a healthy friendship, online friends are sincerely a blessing. Although you may now always be able to say the same for long-distance romantic relationships, long-distance friendships are often the strongest. You don't have to live down the street from somebody to feel like you've known them your whole life. You don't have to live in the same city, county, state, or country to be best friends. You don't even have to live on the same continent for the friendship to be real. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Do you have any internet friends? What are some of your favorite things about having internet friends? Are there any special activities that you and your internet friends do together? I'd love to know!

14 Beautiful Things About Online Friendships
Thank you for reading, and I hope the rest of your day is wonderful!
If you liked this post, I'd really appreciate it if you'd help this blog grow and hit the follow button! :)
Follow

No comments

Post a Comment

Newer Post Older Post
Keep Up With The Kat Life Subscribe to my news feed to get posts delivered directly to your inbox!