In the middle of 2011, I met someone who changed my life for the better. Sharing a love for Pokemon and stupid memes, I became friends with a young boy, and that was it. From the very start, he was the person I’d go to with problems I had, he was my safety blanket when I needed comfort, and he certainly was one of the only people that hasn’t turned their back on me. We watched each other grow up – we watched as the other matured and figured out what they liked and didn’t like. Over the years, I would watch him crumple with sadness, watch his eyes fill up with happiness, and watch every other emotion spread over his face. He was who I usually called after school, and I would talk to him until sleepiness ran through my veins. When I was down, he cheered me up with silly videos and by telling me stories. The love and appreciation I have for this kid is unexplainable – he’s stuck by my side throughout everything that’s happened in our lives. Even through the ups and downs between us, he’s never hesitated to forgive me and start again, even if I didn’t really deserve his forgiveness or friendship. We are still close – we Snapchat and text every day, and I call him about once a week. Even though we’re both in college, we still make time for each other. The best part about our friendship? We’ve never met.
Alex and I have never met in person, mostly because there’s 1,093 miles that separate us. I live in Indiana, and he lives in Texas. We met one night while Skyping a mutual friend we had through some website. We clicked instantly, he added me on Facebook, and it was history. We were soon Skyping every night, sharing stories of our lives. It never occurred to us that this wasn’t a normal way of meeting someone, especially over the Internet. When I told people how we met, they would be shocked, call it weird, and ask the golden question: “What if he’s a pedophile!?” After getting these responses, I just started telling people we met through middle school, but he moved away. I never quite understood it, but I knew people would ask weird questions. Even when I got to high school, when it could have been a little more acceptable, I was still met with blank stares and judgement. Confiding in my closest friends during high school, they still were weird about the topic, so I just dropped it.
Even though I’ve never met Alex in real life, I trust him with my life. We’ve had our ups and downs like any friendship – there was a point where we got into a nasty fight and didn’t talk to each other for a good three or four months, until I decided that I missed my best friend too much and apologized. Internet friendships are just like the friendships one has in real life – the only difference is you can’t physically hang out with them (unless you travel the distance to meet them). Nowadays, with Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Tinychat, Chatango, Playstation Live/Xbox Live, it’s easy to meet people from all over the place and become friends with someone you didn’t know existed. It’s not weird either. Sometimes, you connect better with people you’ve never met than those you see everyday.
I think everyone should have an Internet friend because you can rant to them and they won’t judge you. They’ll have your back and won’t spread rumors about you (because who are they going to tell? Their dog?). If you connect on a deeper level, it’s a different type of friendship besides a physical connection, or high school friendships. It’s even more common to start a relationship from meeting someone on the Internet. Meeting someone over the Internet isn’t weird. It’s not strange. It’s a different way of meeting someone that’s still valid. I have met so many amazing people through the wonderful world of the Internet, and I would never change a thing. They are some of the most important people in my life. I click better with them.
Alex and I have been planning on meeting for a few years now, and hopefully we will complete that goal by the time we graduate college. So, to all of those who have Internet friendships or relationships, it’s valid, it’s not weird, and I hope you all meet eventually. To those who don’t know how Internet friendships work, don’t shame someone for simply talking to another human being. Yes, I am fully aware that there are people on the Internet who have malicious intents, or aren’t who they say they are, but there are those who aren’t afraid to show their face and introduce you to their family. Next time your friend informs you that they’ve met someone without really meeting them, don’t look at them in disgust. It’s interesting to meet someone who you never knew existed until now.
