National Internet Friends Day – February 13, 2024

U.S.

History
Timeline
FAQs
Importance
Celebrate

National Internet Friends Day is celebrated on February 13 every year and celebrates internet friendships. Internet friendships have become an important source of interaction for children and adults around the world as life gets busier.

Internet friendships have become a natural extension of people’s need for connections. While a lot of people have managed to make friends with their mutuals on social media sites, it is frequently in smaller groups like group chats, discord servers, and dashboards that people make friends.

History of National Internet Friends Day

National Internet Friends Day celebrates the importance and value of online friendships. These friendships are frequently dismissed as being less valuable than in-person friendships.

Online relationships are similar to and just as important as in-person relationships. These relationships last just as long as friendships made offline.

Much like in-person relationships, online friendships are built by spending time together and doing things that everyone can bond over. People mostly start talking to each other online based on common interests. These conversations may wane over time if the people find that they have nothing else in common. Sometimes the conversations continue, and people build relationships that can last for years.

Internet friendships can also refer to friendships that started in person but have to be maintained online because someone had to relocate. In this fast-changing world, where people relocate or travel, online friendships are the norm. Staying connected online allows people to maintain a connection with friends that they cannot see often.

The suspicions around internet friendships are due to internet predators that have bad intentions. These predators attempt to groom young women and men. This is why extra care needs to be taken with online friendships.

Having supervised video calls ensures online safety. Other precautionary measures involve not sharing personal information like full names and addresses with a stranger online.

National Internet Friends Day timeline

1981

The First Personal Computer is Developed

I.B.M. develops the first personal computer for business purposes.

1983

The Internet is Born

January 1 is considered the official birthday of the internet.

1990

Americans Start Connecting Online

A.O.L. allows the wider American population to have access to the internet.

1997

Chat Rooms and Social Media Become Popular

With A.O.L.’s themed chat rooms and the first social media sites like SixDegrees, more people connect.

National Internet Friends Day FAQs

Is it safe to make friends online?

Online and offline, people must be careful when talking to someone new to avoid predators.

Are internet friendships real?

Internet friendships are as real as in-person friendships.

Is it easier to make friends online?

Yes, it is because you can find spaces tailored to your interests, which makes it easier to find people you can be friends with.

National Internet Friends Day Activities

Host an online party
Get your online friends together and host an online party. You might have to work around time zones but it will be worth it.
Email an old friend
Maybe there was a friend that you spoke to but do not talk to anymore. This day is a great opportunity to reach out and try to reconnect.
Make a new internet friend
Go on social media and try to find a common interest with someone and get talking! Remember to be kind and you might just find yourself a new friend.

5 Facts About The Internet And Social Networking That Will Blow Your Mind

It was originally meant for the government
The internet was developed to make communications between government agencies easier.
Multiplayer games have been around for decades
Multiplayer games based on Dungeons and Dragons have been around since the 1980s.
People now research social networking sites
Sites like Facebook, Twitter, e.t.c. are becoming spaces for researchers to examine the effects of these sites on society.
Research proves that online relationships succeed
According to Hamburg professor Erich H. Witte, online relationships have a higher chance for success than offline relationships.
There are negative effects as well
While making friends on the internet initially, be it to decrease loneliness, friendships need to develop offline at some point, otherwise, loneliness can still set in.

Why We Love National Internet Friends Day

We love our online friends
We have made a lot of friends online and love all of them. This day is a great way to celebrate these friendships.
We want to make new friends
Online friendships are just as meaningful as offline relationships. We want to expand our horizons and make new friends from around the world!
We want to have a party
Organizing an event to hang out together is difficult online. That is why occasions like National Internet Friends Day give us an excuse to celebrate together!