Online or offline friends, who do you spend more time with?
By bayernfan
@bayernfan (1430)
Canada
April 14, 2009 10:52pm CST
We all manage our time in different ways. This can charge depending on the season, circumstances or location that we find ourselves in. Perhaps you only spend a limited amount of time on the internet to begin with? Conversely, maybe you do a lot of work online and it's easy to stay in contact with others through technology? Maybe you travel a lot or are on the road most of the time, so staying in contact with friends isn't possible to do face to face very often? Perhaps all your friends live close by and you are always organizing events together? Maybe you don't have many friends offline or most of your friends were met online so you're all in the habit of communicating this way? What if you are a person who uses technology for specific tasks and not for socializing? Perhaps you don't have any friends online or off?
So, do you spend more time with your friends while online or offline? I include contact by phone, text, fax, snail-mail, e-mail, internet and other communication devices as online.
3 people like this
12 responses
@zweeb82 (5653)
• Malaysia
15 Apr 09
Definitely online!~ Haha!~
They are a lot of friends especially after school or college that are working now - we hardly have time to meet up. So since most people are online most of the time, I guess that's the best way to stay in touch? I guess internet like IMs or even social networks like Facebook is the most convenient way to stay in touch & the percentage is even greater compared to phone calls
They are a lot of friends especially after school or college that are working now - we hardly have time to meet up. So since most people are online most of the time, I guess that's the best way to stay in touch? I guess internet like IMs or even social networks like Facebook is the most convenient way to stay in touch & the percentage is even greater compared to phone calls@bayernfan (1430)
• Canada
16 Apr 09
Many of us live hectic lives and it can be difficult to arrange time together when everyone in the group is available. Some of the technology at our disposable is ingenious and has become indispensable. Can you imagine that there was a time without internet or mobile phones?
1 person likes this
@zweeb82 (5653)
• Malaysia
17 Apr 09
Talk about internet breakdown!~
We just had one the other day!~ Lasted from around 5pm to the next day 9+am!~ I guess everyone was calling up & blasting them off as the tech support lines were all engaged. Either that or they just took the phones off the hook!~
3 states were hit in our northern region & such inconvenience it caused!~
We just had one the other day!~ Lasted from around 5pm to the next day 9+am!~ I guess everyone was calling up & blasting them off as the tech support lines were all engaged. Either that or they just took the phones off the hook!~3 states were hit in our northern region & such inconvenience it caused!~@bayernfan (1430)
• Canada
17 Apr 09
We can be so reliant on technology nowadays, that disruption in service can be a major inconvenience. I'm glad to see that your internet service is up and running again zweeb. 
1 person likes this
@ratyz5 (7808)
• Philippines
16 Apr 09
Oddly enough for me, I always seem to associate my online interaction as something that could wait for me when I am not online. Say that I was really into or active in a particular site and left comments, posted replies and so on. Then I suddenly got busy with my real life that I had no time to log in and go back to those sites to answer the replies that my posts have received. Yet, by the time I get back online, its as if I was only off line for a few moments and I could come back with the usual routine that I use to do before.
As things now are becoming rather complicated, my friends also have their own priorities hanging around them and obligations to be attended to, resorting to online seems common place. Friends could catch up on each other and tell each other what has happened since the last time they saw each other. Its sometimes nice that even though we don't see them face to face, we can still keep in touch.
As for me, I don't usually get to go online as much as before n'or see my real friends even when I do have the time to see them as they would often be busy at chances that I do become available.
@ratyz5 (7808)
• Philippines
17 Apr 09
It would be totally convenient if we all have that particular pattern that everyone among friends could coincidentally have in common with each other. Say that they could squeeze that moment in their busy schedule to log online or even meet up and hang out with each other, I would prefer the latter of course but, that is simply not the case and a rarity if I could say so myself.
Weekends often end up with nothing in particular, unless some sort of schedule goes in order and you still have the energy to accommodate such activities like some well-oiled machine which could always do things whenever it is needed.
@bayernfan (1430)
• Canada
17 Apr 09
I understand what you are saying completely. When it comes to recreational purposes, we can easily turn off or ignore technology. It's not that easy when it comes to work. One has to be more flexible when it comes to interaction with others online. Responses or contact doesn't always occur immediately. We don't all have the same habits or follow the internet usage patterns. As you said, sometimes you can join back in at a later date and not miss a beat when it comes to internet activity. Cheers.
1 person likes this
@bayernfan (1430)
• Canada
17 Apr 09
Then what are you doing here responding in this discussion? Get back to work.
@Misiufraggle (287)
• Poland
15 Apr 09
Since the majority of my friends are in England, and I have moved to Poland, I would say probably 90% of my interaction with my friends is done online. I communicate mostly through Facebook and MSN. I've just installed Skype today so I can make some cheap phonecalls home as well.
Before I moved I would say I used to interact 50% online, 50 offline. I expect once I make more friends here I will gradually spend more time with them and perhaps less time online.
@bayernfan (1430)
• Canada
16 Apr 09
It looks like you have all the bases covered. Today's technology helps to facilitate and make easier movement across borders. I wonder if you would be as willing to make the move if you knew that it would be more difficult to stay connected back home? I know that sailors, when not trying to avoid Somali pirates, often battle loneliness/boredom.
@Misiufraggle (287)
• Poland
17 Apr 09
Now you mention it - I doubt I would have moved if it were not for the internet making it easy to keep in touch with people back home.
@bruceabb2008 (65)
• China
16 Apr 09
I have no much online friends so far. Beside working, I spend most of time with my offline friends and family, expecially with my girl friend. We usually together do some shopping, hanging out, cooking or watching T.V. .
@bayernfan (1430)
• Canada
17 Apr 09
It's better that you are spending time with your girlfriend rather than wasting it away online. You don't want to end up in the dog house.
@Huskydog (27)
• Iceland
15 Apr 09
I spend more time with offline friends couse most of the times i'm not in school, Practice, outside or spending time with friends i'm watching TV, i don't really spend allot of time on the computer unless i'm Super dooper uber boored, btw does anyone know any good games to play?
@bayernfan (1430)
• Canada
17 Apr 09
You can't edit your comments once you have posted them on myLot. Did you mean to type super duper über bored?
@laydee (12798)
• Philippines
15 Apr 09
I think I could say I spend more time with offline friends (phones, text messaging, email, chat, etc.) than having the time to visit them personally. I think it's because we are all so spread apart (different cities, countries and even continents) that's why communication is easily facilitated more through online devices such as mobile phones and the internet.
@bayernfan (1430)
• Canada
16 Apr 09
The technology we use affords us the ability to stay in touch with others, no question. Perhaps we can also credit technology for helping us keep/save friendships and relationships? It's all too easy to drift apart and go separate ways when contact lessens. Thanks for participating.
@bayernfan (1430)
• Canada
17 Apr 09
If you are usually in front of the computer, than it isn't all that surprising that you spend more time with online friends. You're on the right site if you are trying to make new friends. There are some great people that are counted among the membership on myLot. The great thing about the internet is that there is a wide variety of ways to interact and meet people. Cheers.
@roboid (205)
• Romania
15 Apr 09
I prefer to spend more time with offline friends. The online friends are also the offline friends. We spend together as much as we can offline but when we don't have time, we chat a lot by messenger or phone. Personally I hate messenger as I can get misunderstood very often and I don't know if the other person is telling the truth. I prefer eye-contact and that is why I prefer to spend online time with my friends.
All the best,
Robert
@bayernfan (1430)
• Canada
16 Apr 09
So you can answer yes because your online friends and offline friends are one and the same. There are advantages to communicating with others online or offline. You can actually converse with people online and see their facial expressions and reactions if webcam(s) are deployed. Technology can be a wonderful thing. Thanks for sharing.
There are advantages to communicating with others online or offline. You can actually converse with people online and see their facial expressions and reactions if webcam(s) are deployed. Technology can be a wonderful thing. Thanks for sharing. @ramgoli (9)
• Australia
15 Apr 09
according to me i can manage my life with online and offline friends
most of that i can spend my time with ONLINE friends,beacuse i have lot of friends who are also not my classmates,not my room mates,not my college mates,i had found some in chat rooms,because in my everyday life i can spend with internet,so i had found number of friends from different countries,
when the friends are in online we can chat or talk each other at a time,when some are in offline we have to wait for reply until they send
i think all friends doesnt get online at a time and all odest get offline at a time
so we have to give importance to both online or offline friends
@dreamdua (48)
• India
15 Apr 09
both are on it's own place..there is a limited circle offline while online circle is best because due to this technology we can communicate to our old ones, dear ones who shifted to different states..even to different countries because one thing is true that we never have a circle that is permanently with us....so in that case the technology helps us...i spent my most of the time online
