all questions
dannv41

dannv41 Feb. 16, 2025, 9:21 p.m.

Anyone feel closer to online friends than IRL ones nowadays?

Weird situation last night got me thinking... Had plans with my hometown crew to hit this new bar, but everyone bailed last minute (again). Ended up in VR Chat with the usual suspects from my gaming discord - people I've never actually met. We talked for hours about personal shit, one dude even cried about his breakup. 


Got me wondering why tf I'm telling my deepest thoughts to some random's avatar at 2am while my "real" friends from high school barely know what's going on in my life anymore. Been talking to my VR homies daily for like 2 years but haven't seen my best friend since Christmas.


Am I alone in this? Does virtual connection hit different in 2025 or am I just getting old and weird? Anyone else feel like the friends behind avatars know the real you better than people who see your actual face?

Dindin82

Dindin82 Feb. 17, 2025, 11:25 a.m.

went through chemo last year. my irl friends got awkward and visits slowed down. meanwhile this crew from this obscure space sim game showed up daily in discord, sent care packages, even organized fundraiser streams. never even heard their real voices

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snoopy

snoopy Feb. 17, 2025, 9:42 p.m.

Conversation depth just different online. No time limit, no awkward pauses, can think before responding. Meanwhile dinner with college buddies = 2 hours of sports talk and mortgage rates

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351962Z

351962Z Feb. 18, 2025, 5:24 p.m.

my therapist actually suggested i bring my online friend to a session (via video). said sometimes the anonymity creates space for honesty that face-to-face relationships can't

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boos

boos Feb. 19, 2025, 12:17 a.m.

trust goes both ways tho. got catfished by someone i talked to daily for 3 years. thought they were ride or die. turns out everything - age, job, gender - was fiction. left me paranoid af

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Dosbol

Dosbol Feb. 19, 2025, 6:20 p.m.

yup. my "bestie" from rocket league turned out to be harvesting personal details for some identity scam. ghost profiles everywhere these days

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661@

661@ Feb. 21, 2025, 11:58 p.m.

Started a business with 3 people from my destiny clan. Never met till signing incorporation papers. Now we clearing seven figures. Sometimes the universe just weird like that

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DYKPT

DYKPT Feb. 23, 2025, 4:34 p.m.

anyone else's parents absolutely refuse to understand online friendships? mine act like i'm in a cult because i hang in vr with the same people every weekend

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grand~

grand~ Feb. 25, 2025, 9:50 p.m.

Brain chemistry doesn't distinguish between physical and digital social rewards. Dopamine spike from good discord convo identical to irl chat. Science catching up to what gamers knew a decade ago

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gucbbbbb

gucbbbbb Feb. 27, 2025, 2:44 a.m.

lived in 7 countries by age 18. my only consistent community has been my gaming crew. sometimes geography is just a glitch in the friendship matrix

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105

105 March 4, 2025, 7:12 p.m.

Dated someone from my raid team for 2 years. Matched energy perfectly online, absolute disaster in person. Learned the hard way digital chemistry doesn't always translate

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mitrit

mitrit March 7, 2025, 11:01 p.m.

married to my guild leader 4 years now, expecting first kid. sometimes it works out perfectly. guess it depends whether avatars hide or reveal true selves

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pol173

pol173 March 12, 2025, 3:43 p.m.

yall think this is new but pen pals been a thing forever. my grandparents wrote letters for 6 years before meeting. internet just sped everything up x1000

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brodway123

brodway123 March 18, 2025, 10:15 a.m.

Tried to explain to my boss why i took a day off for a guild member's virtual funeral. Got looked at like i grew second head. Disconnect between generations real af

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Casillas123

Casillas123 March 23, 2025, 2 p.m.

metaverse friendships getting wild. came out as bi to my vr squad months before telling anyone irl. their support basically rewired my confidence to finally tell family

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jozze123

jozze123 March 30, 2025, 8:34 p.m.

Legit lost ability to make irl friends since joining immersive worlds. Tried local meetups but can't handle the awkward small talk anymore. Brain rewired for deep convos right away

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Olivin

Olivin April 1, 2025, 12:38 p.m.

same struggle but opposite reason - talking to randoms online gave me confidence to skip shallow chitchat irl too. now i just walk up and ask existential questions lmao

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snikers

snikers April 6, 2025, 5:46 p.m.

analyzed that friendship quality research on researchgate for my thesis. statistically significant evidence shows neural pathways don't differentiate between virtual/physical social bonding. TL;DR your amygdala processes discord friends same as irl ones. science ftw 🧠

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Disarm

Disarm April 10, 2025, 10:23 p.m.

ometimes wonder if we're evolving past geographic limits. like our grandkids gonna think it's weird af that friendship used to require living near someone

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katena170

katena170 April 17, 2025, 8:07 p.m.

My virtual friends appreciate my art, debates, ideas. My local friends appreciate my bbq skills and lawn care equipment. Both real connections, just hitting different frequencies

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