Informative Essay: The Web Of Friendship

The Web of Friendship Friendship is imperative to us; it impacts our lives and shapes our character. However, there is a misconception regarding what friendship really is. When asked if we know our best friend, how can we say no? We instantly envision a neighbor or classmate; someone we’ve known our whole lives. We’ve been to their house, and met their parents. However, not all friendships are so easily fabricated. There are such friendships where you can’t meet their parents, or hang out after school-- Friendships that are founded on the internet. This concept isn’t traditional, and lacks several aspects that an offline relationship may have. Even so, internet friendships are equally valid, and should be treated as such. No matter where they

Relationships founded on the internet are undoubtedly different than offline relationships you have with friends and classmates. However, this doesn’t mean that they aren’t beneficial. While lacking certain perks, such as hanging out after class, there is nothing stopping a similar relationship from surfacing. Of course, it’s important to exercise caution on the internet; you don’t always know who you’re talking to. But, children often find someone their age, whom they can talk to. Generally, they’re using the internet to express something they’re fond of, such as a TV show or music group. This is how two people can meet; through mutual interests. For many, this is hard to do in real life. Interests and hobbies ruled “unpopular” by society are hidden. Because of this, they use the internet as an outlet and talk about hobbies such as video games, cosplaying, and anime. Surrounded by people who share similar interests, this causes them to open up and feel more comfortable and, in some cases, befriend them.Once trust is established, there is nothing keeping them from acting as normal friends with. Besides text-chat available across the web, there are also services such as ooVoo, Rabbit, and Skype that provide a platform for video chatting and streaming. Of course this is different than physically seeing each other, but it allows them the opportunity to act as normal friends do. Really, how different is