There is this really hurtful assumption that online friends are like imaginary friends and the need for them would just fade away if you have "a life". Online friends are not chatbots you can turn to when you are bored or hate your real life friends or they hate you all with a sudden after you had no problem with ditching your online friends for them more often than not.

#OnlineFriendsAreRealPeople #InternetFriendsAreRealFriends #FoundFamilyIsFamily

Kids learn object permanence really early in life, yet, many people never learn online friend object permanence. Like, these people don't cease to exist just by you turning your computer off. The time span you don't see your friends in the place you are living is experience the same by your online friends.

#OnlineFriendsAreRealPeople #InternetFriendsAreRealFriends #FoundFamilyIsFamily

What people with a "real life first" approach when it comes to with whom to spend time don't seem to get is that yes, you are connected to your online connections via the internet but these people are (assuming these are not catfishes or the like) as real as people you are meeting face to face. There are real people behind the other screen. So this approach doesn't really make sense.

#InternetFriendsAreRealFriends #FoundFamilyIsFamily #OnlineFriendsAreRealPeople