If you had to choose between your real life and internet life, which would you choose? Specifically, if you were given the option of living on a deserted island somewhere and you could either bring the people you're close to in RL or you could bring an internet connection and a computer (assuming this was all feasible), what would you choose? In other words: someone you see in person every couple of months but keep in contact w/ over the internet is an internet friend, and only available in the second option. Someone you see every few days regardless of whether or not you have internet access is a real life friend, and available in the first option only. There can be no crossover.
To put it a different way: choose between a wide array of friends, with no physical contact, or a very small group of friends.
So which would you choose and why?
This is a tricky one, but I have to answer Real Life because that'd include my kids, and ultimately I'd choose them first over anyone or anything else. But if I didn't have kids? Honestly, I might actually choose to go with my internet friends. All of you pretty much count as internet friends. My real life friends I often met over the internet originally, or whatever. Even with my family, I tend to talk to them or "see" them more often online than I do in person, most of them don't live nearby and such. So I tend to think at this point that more of my social life and more of my ties are actually to long distance, internet-primary friendships than in-person friendships.
I don't know if that's a sad thing about me, or just a wonderful thing about the internet. I mean, it's not as if my cousins are "internet friends", for instance, but I still keep in contact with them over the internet primarily, with of course some phone contact and the occasional in-person visit. Real-life in-person friendships tend to change anyways, as people move away, go to school, have kids, get married, etc. My bestest-friend
lilhlfpint moved to CA and now I only talk to her online or over the phone. Another really good friend of mine moved to Germany with his fiancee. People I've met in school have moved on to jobs and families elsewhere. Coworkers have moved on to new jobs. Etc. etc. etc. So in the end, with the exception of my children, I think I'd actually pick the internet. Being able to stay in contact with so many people, even without the physical contact, I dunno, I think it'd be the better choice. Although going for the rest of my life without a hug or anything would be miserable. So it's a lose lose scenario, really. Hmmm.(No, I don't know why I'm thinking about these random scenarios, neither is exactly likely to happen anytime soon. I guess this one sprung from the one posted in the community, and that one, well, it's not my fault it was posted. :)
