Online Intimacy Argument Essay

In 2013 Gwen Baer met her best friend for the first time in person. They had never met before, but when they saw each other they instantly ran to each other and hugged and squealed happily. This is because for two and a half years they communicated online, on the phone, and through various social media sites. They were as close as friends that had lived next door to each other, yet the most they met was on the internet. Kyle Chayka in his op-ed for The New Republic makes an argument that in our age of social technology that people should lighten up to the idea of online intimacy. In the age of Skype, Facebook, Tumblr and countless other sites, talking online has become nothing besides a common activity. So why is it that whenever someone claims …show more content…
This led them to have one of the first chat room meet-ups which prompted other sites and people to do the same. Today, simply searching "chat room meetups" will show a huge queue of results of businesses, groups, and sites who 's main purpose is online meetups. Sites and events like these are strengthening already strong online friendships, and in a way lighten people up to the idea of making friends online. These meet-ups show people that just because someone meets another person on the internet that doesn’t mean they can never see them in real life. Never seeing the person they met is one of the main reason people mock and feel disinterested in making friends …show more content…
Jurgenson says "Today it’s just normal". This is one of if not the most important sentence in the article. It sums up the reason online relations should be seen as normal, because it is. Talking online is as common is talking on the phone, there 's no stigma of strangeness or newness to it, it 's been happening for years, and most everyone does it. I do it, I comment, like, chat, skype, every term of social lingo, I 've done it. Everytime I do it I 'm not afraid that a serial killer is trying to find where I live, or that there 's been a virus installed on my phone, I simply type, like, and comment back.
The point is, online friendships and communication in general is simply part of our blossoming online society. The internet has made it easy to talk to anyone, and the world has gladly taken up that offer. With the billions of Facebook and YouTube users, and the hundreds of millions of Tumblr and twitter users, it 's safe to say we live in a social society. So the next time someone sends a message on Tumblr, message back, they may just be your next best