The internet is full of social media platforms, with millions of people using them. Sooner or later, you may find yourself befriending a stranger through Instagram or Twitter. It's one thing to follow someone just to a get a follow back, but having an online friend means so much more. You may not have actually met he or she in person, but that doesn't decrease their significance as a friend.

Meeting them and beginning to form a friendship with him or her is a unique experience. It may start as a single comment on one of your posts or someone may send you a direct message asking you about your outfits. At first you may be a bit suspicious of who this person may be, or you might get excited to find someone who shares a similar interest. After a bit of awkward small talk, you'll eventually find yourself getting to know each other, and will most likely follow each other as well. Depending on how close the friendship is, you may chat with them every other day or constantly tag them in funny posts you stumble upon.

As the friendship grows, you'll most likely want to meet each other in person. Sometimes you'll be fortunate enough to live a state or two away from him or her, but other times, they might live on the opposite side of the world. Most of the time, the distance won't stop you from being friends, but it will make things more difficult. Sometimes you'll be able to FaceTime or Skype for hours on end, and other times you might only get a few minutes to chat.

If your friendship continues to grow, you may start sending packages to each other, sending a personal care package full of gifts for special occasions. These packages may contain items such as clothing, books, snacks, drawings, and almost anything imaginable to show that you care about them. From my personal experience with sending and receiving packages from friends around the globe, it's like giving/receiving a birthday present. The hunt to find some of my friend's favorite things has made me feel like a person Santa to them. Putting the package together, shipping it off to another place and eagerly waiting for them to receive it is just as exciting as it is waiting to receive your own personalized package. (I'm more of a giver than a receiver, so I find the giving part to be exciting. But waiting for a package to arrive is just as exciting in my opinion.) Long distance friends will most likely send foreign candies and famous clothing brands so you can experience what their country has to offer. (Cadbury Chocolate and Mr. Kipling are personally some of my favorite treats from New England.)Without a doubt, the biggest, most exhilarating moment in an online friendship is meeting each other. It's almost like meeting a celebrity if you think about it; you know everything about this person, and after so long (or maybe not so long) you finally get to meet them. I haven't met any of my online friends yet (unfortunately) although I would immediately jump at the opportunity to. Having and maintaining such a close bond with someone miles away is unbelievable. Meeting that very person for the first time must be greater than words could ever describe it to be.