Advantages and problems + catfish or not?
There are a lot of advantages of having internet friends. But also a lot of problems and disadvantages that can come along with this kind of friendships. In this post I’m going to list all the ones I came across in the last few years.
Advantages:
1. World knowledge
Since almost everyone has access to the internet nowadays, it is a lot easier to communicate with people from other countries. You get to know where they live and how their life is different to yours. Plus you get to know the country from another point of view. It`s like making a world tour while you are at home.
2. Someone you can talk to
Obviously it depends on where you are and where the person you want to talk to is because of the time zones. But when it comes to situations where you need to talk to someone that won`t judge and will let you speak out what`s on your mind internet friends can be very useful since they are outside of the scene and can be neutral people or defend your points. In the end they know how to make you feel better.
3. A reason to visit places you never thought of before
You might have never thought of visiting Japan or Ghana (those are just examples) but since you have friends around the world you now have a reason to go there and see them. You might experience an adventure.
4. Friendship and love
There is a possibility of you finding friends and even love on the internet. Not everyone on the internet is a catfish. There are also a bunch of cool people (like me! J).
5. Learn a new language for free
It is an advantage when you have friends that live in other countries. When they speak another language they can teach you or you might improve the language if you already speak it.
6. New people
You get to know new people. Your internet friends have friends and maybe siblings and you might get to know them and communicate with them so all of you end up being friends. Plus you meet people you might have never met in real life due to hobbies and other factors.
Problems:
1. No Wi-Fi connection
Sometimes no Wi-Fi connection can be a serious problem, especially when you want to video chat with someone. In general no Wi-Fi connection is a complete nightmare for today’s society.
Possible solution: Turn Wi-Fi on and off till it works again. (Just kidding!!)
2. Time zones
This is one of the biggest problems and disadvantages of having internet friends. You wake up when they go to sleep or you are at school/work while they are enjoying the evening.
Possible solution: Find a time of the day or a day of the week where both of you have time to sit down and talk for a moment or leave each other short text messages during the day.
3. Distance
Distance is something inevitable when it comes to online friendships. You have to learn how to cope with it. Till you can finally meet them. Because if you really care about this person you`ll make the effort to just be patient for a while.
Possible solution: Video chat the person. That’s a simple way to cope with the distance.
4. Arguments
Arguments are friendship killers. Misunderstandings and miscommunication often lead to them. It is a lot more difficult to understand each other when you are texting because you can`t see their face and the non-verbal communication isn’t there.
Possible solution: If you are unsure just call the person and talk about the problem you have. Don`t just leave it there just because you don`t want to argue.
Catfish or not?
It`s hard to tell if you are being catfished or not and it`s always hard to trust new people you meet on the internet if you`ve been catfished before. Just remember:
If they don`t want to video chat or don`t have a working front camera it`s very suspicious.
If they ask you to send them money. DON’T SEND THEM MONEY!!
If they look like they could be mildly famous and only send you pictures of them looking good all the time it might be a catfish.
If they tell you a tragic story that happened to them and it's too tragic to be true it probably isn't.
They ask you for nudes and videos without even knowing you.
They are attached to you too soon. They talk about relationship and that you have a special connection without knowing you for a day.
My advice: If you like to talk to this person do it, there is no problem in talking to them. Be aware that if they do any or all of the above, someone is playing a game with you and you should get out of it as soon as possible. Don't believe everything they tell you and try to video chat them if you want to be completely sure they are the person on the pictures.
By bucketsofwater
