All human beings are social creatures and as a social creature, it is vital for an individual to have some sort of constant support or companion. One such common type of companion which an individual has is in terms of his or her friends. A friendship can be defined as a relationship between people which is characterized by mutual affection, a sense of respect, and certain shared qualities. There are many experts who classify friendship as having a stronger bond than an interpersonal bond or association. There are many fields of study in which experts choose to study this particular concept. And some of those fields of study include sociology, communication, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, and many other fields. There are also many types of theories which are given on the concept of friendship. And some of those theories are social exchange theory, relational dialectics, equity theory, and attachment styles. In this academic writing piece, readers will be able to learn whether it is better to have online friends or imaginary friends. However, before proceeding to discuss that, the readers will be able to learn about the qualities of a good friend. All those pieces of discussion are mentioned below.
The Qualities of a Good Friend
There are many important qualities which are associated with a good friend. And some of those important qualities of a good friend are mentioned below.
· Kindness
It goes without saying that one of the most important characteristics of a good friend is the fact that he or she is kind. To have a mutual bond of affection between two people it is important for both of those individuals to be kind with one another.
· Honesty
It is often said that honesty is the best policy. And whosoever came up with that saying was probably on to something. If one wishes to establish a healthy relationship with another person for a long period of time then it is important for both of those parties to be completely honest with each other.
· Individuality
It goes without saying that for any relationship to work and thrive, it is important for both of the parties to exist beyond that relationship. This is also true for any friendship. One often tends to prefer friends who are interesting and are well functioning individuals.
· Adventurous
As it was mentioned above, it is natural for people to find friends who are adventurous. That is why this is often considered to be a very desirable quality in individuals when one is finding friends.
· Playfulness
When an individual is looking to make friends then, one also considers the point that he or she would have to spend a considerable amount of free time with that person. Hence, playfulness is a very important quality which one takes into consideration at that time.
· Protectiveness
An individual might come across certain situations in which he or she would have to protect somebody else’s interest if he or she cares for that person. This is one of the most vital qualities of a friend.
These are all the major qualities which are associated with a good friend. It is important for an individual to note that there can be many other qualities which a good friend should have. And some of those qualities are trustworthiness, nurturing, helpfulness, good listening capabilities, clairvoyance, displaying optimism while being practical, respectfulness, and many other qualities. In the next section, readers will be able to learn about the benefits of online friends.
The Benefits of Online Friends
According to different sources, there can be many benefits to online friends. And some of those important benefits of online friends are mentioned below.
· Acceptance
The virtual world is a strange place and it is common to find some of the strangest personalities online. This is one of the reasons why the majority of people tend to be very accepting in the virtual world. This is also considered to be one of the biggest benefits of having online friends. There are also many statistics which suggest that people find it easier to open up to someone over the internet as it makes that individual feel safer.
· No Issues related to Distance
It is a commonly known fact that many relationships fail to last because of distance. As the distance increases, both those individuals find it hard to maintain contact. This eventually leads to the dissolution of that relationship. However, this is not the case with online friends. In the majority of the cases, both the individuals who are engaged in online friendship are already living far apart. Hence, this is not the issue which one needs to worry about when it comes to online friends.
· Easy Availability
Every single individual often has a lot of responsibilities and personal tasks to handle. Hence, it can be quite hard to be physically available all the time. But when it comes to online friends then virtual availability comes into question. This virtual availability is easier to accomplish than physical availability.
These are all the major benefits of online friends. In the next section, the readers will be able to learn about the benefits of imaginary friends.
The Benefits of Imaginary Friends
There are many benefits which an individual can experience if he or she has imaginary friends. And some of those benefits are mentioned below.
· Constant Availability
According to different experts, one of the biggest reasons why children tend to have imaginary friends is because of the easy availability of those imaginary friends. To be with those imaginary friends one only need to have the desire to be with imaginary friends and those friends are there for that individual.
· Enhanced Communication Skills
According to various statistics, children tend to have better communication skills if they report having imaginary friends in comparison to children who do not have imaginary friends. Hence, having an imaginary friend can allow an individual to develop better communication skills.
· Better Social Skills
If an individual has friends then it goes without saying that one must engage with that friend. And this would lead that individual to develop better social skills.
These are the benefits of having imaginary friends.
The Verdict: Online Friends vs. Imaginary Friends
As it was mentioned earlier, all human beings are social creatures. And hence, it is very natural for an individual to form bonds of mutual trust and understanding with other individuals. These bonds are also known as friendship. Two of the most common types of friendship which individuals often engage in include online friendships and imaginary friendships. Both of these friendships do not consist of the physical presence of some other individual. And while there are some experts who claim that online friends are better while there are other individuals who claim that imaginary friends are better. Hence, it can be concluded that the benefits of either of those types of friends completely depends on the individual in question. For one individual an online friend could be more beneficial while for somebody else an imaginary friend can be more beneficial.
The Conclusion:
As a human one often forms bonds with other individuals. There are also different types of friends which all individuals can have. And two of those common types of friends include online friends and imaginary friends. There are many benefits of which an individual can get if he or she has online friends or imaginary friends. And it cannot be said with absolute certainty whether online friends are better or imaginary friends. It is important to remember that while having an online friend might be more beneficial for an individual but for somebody else having an imaginary friend might be more beneficial.
The References
https://alwayscoffee.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/real-vs-imaginary-the-debate-about-internet-friends/
https://thoughtcatalog.com/madison-moore/2012/12/online-friends-vs-real-life-friends-a-comparison/
https://norahcolvin.com/2014/11/14/online-friends-real-or-imaginary/
https://www.debate.org/debates/are-online-friends-more-effective-then-imaginary-friends/1/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/six-reasons-why-online-friends-are-the-best_b_5113526?utm_hp_ref=technology&%3Bir=Technology
https://brainly.in/question/6746328
https://oxplore.org/question-detail/are-real-life-friends-better-than-online-ones
https://metro.co.uk/2013/10/31/21-reasons-your-online-friends-are-better-than-your-real-ones-4167757/
https://www.7cups.com/qa-loneliness-38/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-making-friends-online-5941/
https://griffithreview.com/articles/virtual-strangers-imaginary-friends/
https://www.deviantart.com/tanorath-drgn/art/Argumentative-Essay-259485785
https://medium.com/@elena_giacomoni/online-friends-vs-offline-friends-6554f74ead1f
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