From Handshakes to Hashtags: The Evolution of Friendship

In a world where screens have become our windows to connection, friendships are no longer limited by distance or physical presence. You can laugh, cry, vent, and celebrate with someone who lives on the other side of the planet, all without ever shaking their hand. Online friendships have become a new kind of bond, one built on shared interests, late-night chats, and digital empathy. But as we spend more time connecting through pixels and less through presence, one question lingers: can these virtual connections truly replace face-to-face friendships, or is something vital lost in translation?

The truth is that you can't be on Hive and not have online friends. One thing I have come to realize about myself is that I feel like I have made the exact amount of physical friends I want to make in this life and these are friends from my childhood days. I don't see myself making any friends physically to the point of the friends I have but then a lot of online friends have made me realize that I can make friends that would be as close as that of physical friends. Writing this article, I just realized that most of the people I call physical friends from childhood days, now we only communicate digitally and now I feel we are all digital friends.

Now, I agree with "Online friends can actually replace physical friends but to a certain extent"

A lot of people would not like to hear this but there is nothing an online friends wants to give to you that a physical friend wouldn't give and more. The same good people you meet online, they are also people you meet physically.

But maybe what makes online friendships special isn’t about replacing physical ones, it’s about expanding what friendship can mean. Online friendships teach us that connection isn’t always about proximity; it’s about understanding. Sometimes, someone thousands of miles away can understand your silence better than the person sitting right next to you.

I once met a girl on a web3 platform, I saw her post daily and she was beautiful, after series of exchanging comments, we decided to share each others socials and we started communicating, I have learnt a lot from her, she has expanded my scope. She is someone who understands me, my vision, and whole lot more. If she doesn't see my status or a message from me in two days, she would reach out to check up on me. They may not be there to give you a hug when life gets hard, but their words, voice notes, or even emojis can feel just as comforting.

Still, there’s something irreplaceable about physical presence, the unspoken energy when you laugh together, the shared experiences that can’t be typed out. Online friendships thrive on consistency and communication, but physical ones thrive on shared moments and memories. This are things online friends can't give.

So, maybe the real question isn’t whether online friendships can replace physical ones, but whether both can coexist and complement each other. Because in the end, true friendship isn't about where you met, how often you talk, or what you can gain from each other, it's about the good memories and moment you can create with a person be it offline or online. Ask @mandrelmykels

Thanks for reading. My name is fashtioluwa.