When I was younger, my parents gave me the whole “don’t talk to strangers” talk. They made it very clear that the internet is a dangerous place and you don’t know who you’re actually talking to behind the screen. At first, I fell into their trap of thinking that the internet is dangerous. Then I started getting into social media and I came to find that the internet is far from what my parents described to me.
One of the best things about meeting friends through the internet is you can find people with the same interests. The internet is about connecting with people that you have similar interests with. When you find people who like the same things as you, it makes it that much easier to connect with that person. It feels great because I feel like sometimes my school friends don’t understand my passion for the things that I care about. I always feel like I’m never judged by internet friends and I have met some really great friends with the help of social media. There is one person in particular that I have met that makes me truly believe that it is possible to find some of the greatest people you will ever find in your life, through the internet.
I met one of my best friends on twitter through mutual love for Broadway shows. After following each other on twitter for a little bit, we briefly met through mutual friends at a show, but it was just a quick hello. Later that year she ended up being my Broadway Secret Santa which was set up through a twitter account. Two people were paired up based on common interests in a survey that was filled out and she was given me. We got closer during that entire month without me even knowing it was her. Not only did we connect about our common interests, but we connected over our same career paths of teaching. Once she revealed herself as my secret Santa, we started talking every day. Now she is one of my best friends. . I actually think we might hold a world record for fasted friendship formed. We went from strangers to best friends within just a few months.
She has been there for me more than most of my school friends ever have. Unfortunately, the downside to meeting friends through the internet is location. Sometimes distance doesn’t always work in our favor. Even though we are over 400 miles apart, she is still always there for me and understands everything that I am going through. She’s always a phone call away. We spend countless hours on FaceTime, talking about both everything and nothing at the same time.
We are still finding more common similarities that we have between us two. It’s actually scary how many similarities we have found. I truly believe that we were brought into each others’ lives to help each other. I know you grow up learning that the internet could be a scary place, but if it was not for the internet, I would not have found one of my best friends who keeps me going when I want to give up. I am forever grateful for this friendship and how it came to be.
