Do you have an easier time making friends online or irl?

[Neb]

At the moment I have four irl friends and about six online friends. I generally find it easier to befriend people online. In person I tend to talk formally out of nervousness. Some people take it as being standoffish, but I’m really just afraid of being judged for my real personality. I also think my stimming and nervous tics scare a lot of people off.

Online I don’t keep that barrier up. Since there’s a degree of privacy with digital communication, I usually feel safe enough to be more outgoing. I’m much more likely to strike up a conversation with someone new if I think they might make a good friend.

Practicing this skill has become very useful! I’ve gotten so used to texting conversations that many people say they’re surprised I have autism. It really is a matter of asking engaging questions and replying in detail.

 

[Xara]

making friends is honestly incredibly hard for me with how socially anxious i am. i’m always scared of making things awkward, making a joke that might be confusing, being annoying, etc so i prefer to keep my mouth shut and keep to myself. however, i’m definitely way more outgoing and comfortable with talking to people online so it’s a lot easier for me to make online friends than irl ones.

 

[KimiyoCake]

i only have like... a handful of irl friends that still talk to me ;v; but most of my friends are online cuz i'm pretty anti-social in person anyway... always have been.

 

[tomatospooks666]

i'm a little better at making friends online, but about the same at retaining friends either way.

which is to say i can't keep friends.

 

[Princess Mipha]

Online for sure. I am extremelly shy and anxious, so it's really hard for me to talk to people irl, even online to be honest.
I will always feel awkward and bothering when I talk to someone, no matter if it's irl or online. Even my best friend, who is
a irl friend I feel often super stressed to talk to him, I'm too shy to talk with voice to him, lol.
But yeah.. online is definitely a lot more easy for me. Time to think what to reply, not needing to keep eyecontact, etc. >->

 

[Ookami]

I think I'm pretty bad at making friends both IRL and online, however I would like more friends. I only have one person to talk to apart from my family and they live in another country. Other than that I'm pretty comfortable just minding my own.

The best would be if I could have someone to go out and pick berries with when it's in season and just be all natural. I am torn between trying to find a partner or more friends.

 

[Kyneria]

Online is easier because if I start to feel anxious or I need a moment for myself I can just walk out of the interaction for a second. But that being said, online friendships for me have either gone very well (an online friend and I have been friends for 11-12 years now) or just suddenly disappeared. Real life friendships also fade but I've found that online ones don't have that fear of not wanting to be rude and just poof out of existence. I don't think it's exactly a bad thing, but I can understand people that get hurt or think it's a downside.

Lately (before covid mainly) I've been putting some work into my social skills irl and I was progressing a lot, and I would be lying if I said offline friendships didn't help. When the outside world gets scary and gives me anxiety, it's always nice to not only have games to hide into, but also other people open to just talk without having to watch your body language or drag the conversation for too long fearing you're being too awkward.

 

[kusariyaro]

I'm absolutely horrible at making friends online, especially in groups. I just never log on social media long enough to maintain conversations and respond in intervals, sometimes once a day so I get lost in the conversations. x-x I find it easier to go up to someone irl and get their number to text for the first couple days then gradually hang out more. I also like to join groups/clubs/volunteering and meet people that way. Being in school makes you naturally interact with others too so that helps me a lot

i used to think that online was easier, some of my closest friends are ones that i made online! but after the pandemic, being forced to socialize ONLY online... i realized that forming bonds in person is way easier and smoother!

 

[ChocoPie22]

I feel like I have an easier time online, but I have more friends irl. I don't really look for friends online anymore, but when I did I would have a bunch. My friends irl are not really friends I got myself, but one of my closest friends got to know them and introduced them to me.

 

[dragonair]

I don't have an easy time making any friends anywhere ever lol.

 

[skarmoury]

In general, I have a hard time making friends because I’m not really an outgoing person and I get tired easily with social interactions That being said, I still do try to go out of my way IRL to make more connections by joining organizations (currently I’m in 4) and hopefully I get to keep a lot of my connections over time. Online seems way harder for me because (1) I’m shy, and (2) I’m not really.... assertive in starting conversations.

So uh. Comparing the two, it’s easier for me to make friends IRL, but I also do have online friends I talk to periodically because woo similar interests.

 

[Beanz]

i don’t have any online friends, i have more real life friends but i think it’s easier to talk to people online. what scares me the most with real life conversations is eye contact and sometimes i don’t know what to say, but with people online i feel like i don’t have to respond right away. when meeting someone new/talking to someone i don’t know very well, i feel like i sound unenthusiastic, like i don’t want to talk to them which isn’t the case at all. with online interactions nobody can hear what your voice sounds like unless you’re doing voice chat over discord or something similar.

 

[rip]

.

 

[deana]

I picked neither. I find it quite easy to get along with most people, IRL or online. But when it comes to turning those connections in to actual friendships I am truly awful

 

[Maymeows16]

I have both real life and online friends, but it's much more difficult to make real life friends because I'm quiet and shy. Both are great and are different I'm their own way though.

 

[TillyGoesMeow]

Definitely online! I think I just seem strained when talking to people and am not completely great at hiding my anxiousness and it's off-putting to people irl.

 

[~Kilza~]

Considering the last time I had a friend IRL was 16 years ago and I currently have friends online, I kinda have no choice but to say that I have an easier time making friends online, lol. I do find it more comfortable to talk to people online and easier to be myself and not just shy away from conversation, even if making friends in general is still A Struggle™ for me.

 

[Croconaw]

Well, I met my best friend online. Additionally, I have a few other friends that I sometimes talk to who I have also met online. I don’t know if I find it easier to make friends online, but you have a bigger pool if that makes sense. In real life, you’re confined to those you come across. This is difficult if you don’t go many places. I think online is just seen as easier because you are behind a screen, but I don’t think it would be much different meeting those people in real life if an opportunity presented itself.

 

[ellienoise]

I absolutely suck at making friends online. Even keeping my irl friends during the pandemic has been a struggle, because I'm just not good at keeping up with people and remembering to message them if I don´t see them often. I'm bad at responding texts, I either forget or I give incomplete answers to whatever it is that they are saying. I'm a very physical person so I totally need to be present and meet with people for my personality to flourish. idk im just much more fun in person, and I wish I could learn how to befriend people online. I never know how to keep the conversation going.

 

[mitfy]

online. ive had social anxiety all my life so now that i'm out of secondary school i haven't made friends that stuck. ive always had an easier time talking to others through writing bc of my Disorders™ but it's also easier for me to 1. be myself and 2. find people i vibe with online