0 comments
Online friendships have long been viewed as less ‘real’ than those formed through face-to-face interaction. However, research indicates that for Gen Z, whose social lives are increasingly shaped by digital spaces, that assumption is outdated.
In a world of 8.3 billion people, how realistic is it to assume that the right people for us are all within a 10km radius?
More than 2,000 years ago, Aristotle defined friendship as a reciprocal relationship built on goodwill. For the ‘digitally native’ Gen Z, who grew up online, these relationships have expanded across social media platforms.
It is clear that social media is an integral part of Gen Z’s daily life. As seen in the above chart, Gen Z were the most active internet users in 2026, with their favourite social networks being TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, according to a 2026 study. With the rise of fandom activity, creative pursuits, such as writing groups, and even learning spaces, such as online courses, the chance of finding like-minded, positive and understanding people has increased considerably for today’s youth.
A report conducted by the Pew Research Center showed that female-identifying teens are more likely to make online friends through social media (e.g. Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok), and teens identifying as male are more inclined to make online friends through network gaming. These online spaces can be particularly valuable for marginalised young people, including those who are neurodivergent and People of Colour (POC), providing opportunities to build connections and feel less alone.
Unfortunately, online friendships are still met with suspicion, with assumptions like ‘you don’t know them’ and ‘it’s not a real friendship’ being common. However, how valid are these claims and is it really fair for us to hold digital friendships to a different standard?
A 2025 study, published in Cell Press, found that the psychology of online closeness can be similar to that of face-to-face closeness. Digital communication includes daily messaging, audio and video calling, going live together, and more. One of the biggest criticisms these forms face is the limitation in ‘interpersonal nonverbal signals and paralinguistic aspects (i.e., body language, gaze direction, voice tone, proximity, facial expressions)’. The aforementioned study reported that ‘alternative strategies’ could be used to compensate for these cues in digital communication, such as emoticons and stickers, slang, expressions, repeated words and other social media tools, which can be heightened through real-time conversations.
The study discusses the hyperpersonal perspective, which suggests that online interpersonal relationships can feel more intimate and affectionate than face-to-face interactions. Self-disclosure (opening up) is a key part of any friendship, and ‘technology-mediated self-disclosure [was studied to be] at least as frequent and meaningful as face-to-face self-disclosure… leading to increased intimacy’.
