Social media is making it increasingly common for people to make friends they’ve never met in person. Some of these friendships are superficial, while others are deep and meaningful.
It’s important to understand how to nurture a friendship online to ensure it lasts. Here are some tips: 1. Make sure to stay in touch!
1. Look for people with similar interests
When you’re looking to make new friends online, it’s important to be open-minded and to find people with similar interests. This can be done by joining groups, forums, and clubs that center around a specific hobby or subject of interest. These groups often host activities and events that are a great way to connect with people who share the same passions as you do.
There are also a number of apps geared towards making friends that can be helpful in this endeavor. For example, if you’re a fitness fanatic, an app such as Atleto can help you connect with other fitness lovers in your area. Another popular option is Yubo, which is a social live-streaming app that helps you connect with potential friends.
Finally, you can also use platforms like Reddit and Facebook to find communities of people who share your interests. Be sure to be respectful and courteous to everyone in these communities. Don’t spam them with texts and phone calls, and avoid being too needy.
2. Take initiative
It can be a mistake to wait for people to reach out to you or expect that they will initiate friendships. Taking the first step is essential. It shows that you are genuinely interested in getting to know others and can be trusted with their time.
Look for opportunities to connect with people through group activities. For example, joining a gym class or a book club can give you an opportunity to meet people with whom you share interests in a low-pressure setting.
Once you meet people who you click with, ask for their contact information and see if they are on social media. This will make it easy for you to get in touch and see them again. Avoid crossing your arms, scowling or looking down at your feet when speaking to new people. Closed body language sends a message that you are closed off to conversation and friendship. Be yourself and be confident in who you are.
3. Take it offline
When you feel comfortable with a new acquaintance, it is good to take the relationship off social media and into the real world. This can be done by meeting for coffee or a glass of wine. It can also be done by focusing on one specific interest together such as hiking, painting, or dancing.
For many young adults, online contexts offer unique opportunities for a variety of friendship interactions that may differ from those experienced in face-to-face settings. However, in a recent study, some young adults described their experiences with close friends as feeling less rich, intimate, engaging and authentic than those that occurred offline.
It is important to note that these differences do not necessarily indicate a lack of quality or a healthy relationship, but rather that there is a different dynamic at work in the way that these relationships are formed and maintained. Therefore, continued research addressing the complex nature of contemporary friendships and their implications in various online contexts is crucial.
4. Keep in touch
Keeping in touch is important, especially when you have invested so much time into developing a new friendship. However, you can easily overdo it if you are not careful, and your friend will probably be turned off by this. For example, you should not constantly send your new friend memes and articles that they may enjoy, as this will only tire them out.
Fortunately, there are several ways to keep in touch with your friends when they are not close by. For instance, you can have virtual friend hangouts to share your experiences and bond. You can also ask your friends to send you pictures and videos of themselves, and post them on your social media accounts.
You can also write letters to your friends, or even make a trip to visit them. However, these methods require more time and effort than social media interaction. Therefore, they are only recommended if you really want to keep in touch with your friends.