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Striking Up Internet Friendships: Is It Safe or Not? More and more people are spending time on the Internet, and many are striking up friendships in chatrooms. Some feel this is a wonderful way to develop new relationships; others warn it may be risky. Paola Monsalve from Mexico, Bernard Bonnet from France, Anotai Udomwittayakrai from Thailand, Yi Xie (Amy) from China, and Tatiana Anop from Belarus comment on this issue.
Internet Friendships Can Be Dangerous Paola Montsalve from Mexico People in general, but mostly teenagers, are big on computers. They like to spend hours surfing on the Net or talking in chat rooms. I think this pervasive attitude is increasing because people are finding in the chat rooms what they can't find in their real life. But, people have to be wary of the problems or consequences it can cause. Striking up Internet friendships can sometimes be dangerous. You may find friends there, but what kind of friends could they be if you don't even know them? It can sometimes be dangerous. You may get so involved with some friends in the chat room that it can cause you to do crazy things. There
was a case of two teenagers who struck up a
friendship in a chat room and drove miles away from
their homes to meet each other. Fortunately,
nothing bad happened, but this could have ended in
a tragedy. So we shouldn't abuse the use of the
Internet. I suggest that you have friends from
school or other places rather than virtual friends
through a computer. Bernard Bonnet from France Friendship is a very positive relationship between two or more persons. It starts in the neighborhood at school during leisure or professional activities. People need to confide in someone, to trust somebody else. Nowadays, there are computers and the Internet. It would be sterile to ignore this wonderful instrument. The neighborhood becomes the world, and I can organize my birthday party in my private chat room with my friends from San Diego, Paris, Taipei, Berlin and Maurice Island. Isn't it wonderful? I
cannot see the danger if the relationship is just
friendly. Well-balanced people can surf and
chitchat or choose a thematic room and stay in this
room without problems. Sure, there is a temptation
to play and transform the reality, even indeed the
identity, but it could also be a magic place to
express a lot of wonderful things. Anotai Udomwittayakrai from Thailand I
don't think that virtual friends can be real.
Sometimes they might be our friends when we feel
upset and nobody close to us consoles us. A virtual
friend might help us forget sadness, but we should
think carefully that maybe the people whom we talk
with on computers are pretending when they contact
us. They might be lying about everything they tell
us even though we are talking about real things. We
actually don't know people whom we have never met.
That's why we call them "virtual" friends. They
can't be real. Yi Xie from China I
don't think virtual friends can be real
because, first of all, you don't really know who
they are. You just talk to them on-line, and it
isn't face to face. Second, this world is a complex
world. Lots of people lie. Maybe they just say
something they think you want to hear, and you feel
they understand you, You feel they are friendly to
you, but maybe they only use you to fill their
extra time or times when they are bored. Sometimes,
when you tell them your story or secrets, you think
they are your friends, but maybe they don't think
so, maybe they are just laughing at your story or
secrets behind your back. You can't know if they
are real friends. Be careful! Chen Chih Lin from Taiwan A virtual friend might be a good friend for others, but not for me. When I connect with a virtual friend who expresses his or her idea, I don't know if the idea is real or not. So, in my opinion, a virtual friend is just for fun. Maybe you can make some new friends through the Internet, computer chat rooms, and e-mail. I think the advantage is that you can express something weighing on your mine, no matter what what it is, to let out your emotions and not have to care about who the person is. However,
the disadvantage is when you tell something to a
virtual friend and want them to help you to
solve a problem, they may not be serious or care
about you. It might also be risky because the
person whom you chat with might not be a good
person, so be careful while you are chatting with a
stranger. Tatiana Anop from Belarus
If you are a shy person and usually have difficulties getting along with other people, it can be easier to communicate with virtual persons because you don't need to see them personally. You can find someone who has the same hobbies and interests in life. You may become more self-confident. You might learn a lot from other people using the Internet.
Virtual friends are very different from real ones. They can't help you if something happens in your real life. You cannot be as close to each other as to your real friends. When you meet someone everyday, you begin to know this person better, so you find more things to do together. You might have tons of virtual friends, and you can lose them. You will not be upset about it, however, because sometimes you don't even know their real names. On the other hand, if you lose even one of your real friends, you will be sorry about it for the rest of your life because real friends usually come through life with you.
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