You meet someone online. In a chat room or on forums. You talk with the same people every day, or, every week for months, if not years. Can these people be considered friends if you haven't even met them?
The answer is, yes.
Like your "real life" friends you develop close relationships with your online friends. Part of the relationship includes caring about and worrying about your online friends.
This past week's terrorist attacks on the United States reinforced this.
Many of us at Kids' Turn Central have developed close friendships with kids in New York and Washington, where the attacks occured. Rach, Jazzy, Kitty, Troll, SF, Alex, Ucchan and Leopard are just a handful of names of our friends in those areas.
When we saw the attacks on our television screens from around the world we couldn't help but wonder and worry about our friends in these areas. Many of us rushed to the forums, email and chatrooms to see if we could find news about our friends.
Whether we were in England, Canada, Australia or across the United States we all felt enormous fear, loss and worry over the events that occured in New York and Washington. We "knew" people in these areas and we cared.
Some of our "real life" friends or family can't quite grasp the level that we do care for our online friends. Unless you are online and have online friends it is hard to understand that those people behind the screens we watch are real and that we can care very deeply about them.
If you felt anxious, were worried or were looking for your online friends this past week, know that you were not alone. It is normal to feel concern for your online friends, even if you have never actually met them.
I am pleased to report that all of the Kids' Turn Kids in the devastated areas checked in and are safe. Sadly hundreds are not.
If you are looking for a friend from online and have not heard back from them please remember that Internet and email services in the affected areas may be down for the time being. Hopefully you will hear from your online friends soon.
Topics | News
