Do you think you really know your online "friends"?

1. 92

   Sherry Hewinsposted 11 years ago

   Do you think you really know your online "friends"?
   
   You hear so much lately about "catfishing." How sure are you that your online friends are who they say they are>

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2. 77

   Silwenposted 11 years ago

   Personally I would never completely trust anybody that I do not know. I mean in real life. It is quite easy to make as much fake online identities as you want and the problem is that we tend to trust people who we do not know at all. That is the reason why I avoid sharing my personal photos online. The internet can be a great opportunity for new relationship if you use it reasonably. It also can be a perfect trap for fools.

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   1. 92

      Sherry Hewinsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      It sounds like you are sensibly cautious.

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3. 70

   livewirezposted 11 years ago

   If we are talking about knowing our online friends well basically I don't know most of them.

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4. 72

   lburmasterposted 11 years ago

   Nope. I have almost no clue about them. Their names, maybe. Their occupations, possible. Their families, nothing. Their hobbies, most likely. But if you really want to know if you have everything right, research them on google. See if you find any articles about them, look into their family members and where they work. Does anything conflict with what you know? Etc.

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5. 60

   TerryK81posted 11 years ago

   They are who they say they are because they are people that I have known personally, some for at least 4 years and whom I see/work with every week and almost on a daily basis; The few that I do not know that well, but well enough to have some level of trust in them are the ones my friends introduced me to.
        Then there are ways to "check up" on folks to learn what their deal is. Truthfully, sites like facebook and linkedin are slowly beginning to dwindle as people seem to be tired of the same years-old benefits. Better to ask around and try to find out if any of your friends knows the "catfisher".

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6. 60

   Sophia-LeAnneposted 11 years ago

   This is an awesome question. With the exception of 20 or so people, all of my online friends are people that I actually know and currently speak to or they are people that I have acquainted with some time ago and may talk to occasionally. I deleted everyone I didn't know or hadn't talked to in quite some time. So, I guess the answers is that Yes, I do know my online friends because majority of them are family/close friends. I would say No also because I know some people on an acquainted level and thru reputation but not as personally as the others.

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7. 84

   Mrs Jil Manningposted 11 years ago

   No I don't think so.  That is one of the things that stops me from spending too much time online, investing too much in people I don't know.  I need to be in the room with a person, sensing their vibes, looking into their eyes, knowing them like this for at least a year before 'knowing' them in any sense.  Even then, I have had some pretty startling surprises from people I thought I knew.  Sometimes I wonder if I really know myself!

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