An interesting take on the so-called “pure” friendships that can be spawned by way of instant messaging. Online friendships aren’t just initiated by way of IM of course.
I’ve developed a number of friendships through disassociated, in some cases I’ve never actually met the people I’ve gone on to correspond with, though I can certainly empathise with some of Naomi Alderman’s experiences:
My dear friend Andrea – who lives in New York – and I have probably spent a total of 24 hours in one another’s physical company. But, after “meeting” online while working on a project together several years ago, we talk almost every day. In a way, this friendship seems purer than a real-life one: Andrea doesn’t have to come over to my place to chat, and deal with my washing-up aversion, my bad-hair days, or the mess that accumulates when I’m working. We can share ideas, insights, complaints and triumphs throughout the day, becoming quasi-ambient communicators in a way that would probably drive me crazy if we were in the same room all the time.
Have to confess I do prefer to conduct the conversations via email though. I find IM just way too disruptive, especially when trying to carry on drawn out conversations, on sometimes complex topics, while also trying to work.
How about conversations via comments? Heh.
But they wouldn’t be particularly private conversations? Seen it happen before though.
[...] spoke about streamlined-friendship over the net. Does the same experience apply when offline relationships goes on the internet highway? When it [...]