Do online friendships feel easier or harder than real-life ones?

For me, online friendships feel easier at first because there’s less pressure, more time to think before responding, and it’s easier to connect through conversation instead of social performance. I’ve always found it easier to open up through text than face-to-face interaction.

At the same time, I’ve noticed that even when I genuinely want friendship and connection, maintaining online friendships long term can become emotionally exhausting for me. , socially drained even if I like the person. I’m wondering if anyone else experiences this contradiction where you want connection emotionally, but your social energy or nervous system struggles with sustained interaction over time.

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JRVanguard · 26-30, M

Agree one hundred percent with above
Easy to start but harder to really maintain that connection long term
You can’t like go to the movies with them or something so you have to engage fully with your words at all times

mbai2223 · 26-30, F

@JRVanguard yeah and then having to keep the engagement going constantly gets tiring I think it’s sometimes better if you can keep the friendship going in real life because you’ll have more things to do, but I don’t really do good in real life. Friendships.

JRVanguard · 26-30, M

@mbai2223 Are… are we the same person?🤔

mbai2223 · 26-30, F

@JRVanguard what do you mean?

JRVanguard · 26-30, M

@mbai2223 I mean I agree with everything you’ve said but am also not very good at real life friendships
I find us similar
And I like you

mbai2223 · 26-30, F

@JRVanguard it’s just like I can be friends but like for some reason, it’s always some type of misunderstanding on the other side like I could say something new to a regular but they take it a completely different way than what I or how I said it, but then you could be the best friend in the world to them and they still don’t value or your time

JRVanguard · 26-30, M

@mbai2223 Yes yes yes
Something always goes wrong or it just drifts into nothing
Longer times to reply until you just aren’t replying anymore
It takes so much effort to maintain an online friendship

mbai2223 · 26-30, F

@JRVanguard but in real life it’s even harder to understand things or like social cues for me at least like you can’t tell if someone loves you or hate you

JRVanguard · 26-30, M

@mbai2223 I miss all the signs and social cues tbh 😅
People are scary and hard to read

mbai2223 · 26-30, F

@JRVanguard we might be the same 👀

JRVanguard · 26-30, M

@mbai2223
👀👀👀
Do you wanna be socially awkward together

mbai2223 · 26-30, F

@JRVanguard socially awkward online That might actually work 😭

JRVanguard · 26-30, M

@mbai2223 Let’s build an imaginary blanket fort to hang out in😌