I was bored and so had a little look at the Looking for friends ads section. Now is it just me or does anyone else also find it a little weird people look for friends online? Maybe it's just because I'm old and when I grew up (before there were home computers and the internet) if you wanted to make friends well you actually went out and met people. You didn't sit behind a computer searching friendships with people, most of whom you're unlikely to ever meet, online.
Of course by participating in these forums myself I realise in a sense I'm interacting with people I'm never likely to meet as well but I'm not actually looking to make friends as such. I just enjoy discussing Japan based issues because I live here and sure I will get to know some people a bit over my time here. I'm able to still get some social interaction even whilst sitting at home and discuss issues that I don't have time to do with collegues during my day at work. Still I don't expect to really make good friends as such and can't really imagine myself attempting to do so in an online environment.
I do frequent a few other forums, mostly ones based around snowsports and since I work at one of the most popular ski resorts in Japan I have actually met up with people I've met online who have come here for ski holidays (quite a few I have helped organise their accommodation whilst here). But I certainly wouldn't have considered them friends until meeting them personally and most of the time not even then. And I certainly wasn't relying on the forums to meet people, it was just incidental that they were coming over and they knew I lived here so we met up for a drink or a ski.
Are people looking for friends online mostly those who have few real friends or are socially awkward or isolated where they live?
As I say I'm old so maybe I just don't get it.
