Are online friends real friends?

Are online friends real friends?

What does your clock of friends look like?
Hey Everyone!

What is a friend? Do you have to have actually met someone in real life to be able to call them a friend? Are Facebook friends real friends?


I have accepted friend requests from plenty of people who I've never met in person. I definitely wouldn't count them all as my best buddies, but many of them I'm in regular contact with and count them as real friends. Friends aren't just people you have met in person. Friends are people you take the time to listen and respond to, whether while chatting at a coffee shop or on social media. Friends are people you like. Friends are people you trust. 

They say you have friends for a reason, friends for a season and friends for a lifetime. I have moved quite a few times, so my circle of real world friends has changed. Some of those friends I still keep up with online. Some of my best friends, who I used to see in person almost every day, I may only connect with sporadically online now, but they are still my friends. 

I know lots of people who met their spouse online. They became friends online first, then met in person. I don't think you could maintain an online marriage indefinitely though, that's a completely different level of friendship ;)


Friends are people who care about you and support you, whether they do that virtually or in person, they are still friends.

Do you have any friends that you've never met?