There is no doubt how important digital technologies are to the way we live in the modern age. This can be seen in our working lives, where email, video call and remote working are now all staples of most companies. Online tech and digital platforms have also grown to play an increasingly important role in our personal lives over the last few decades.
This is clear to see when you think of how crucial smartphones are to many people’s existence or how much we rely on IoT connected devices in our homes. One other aspect of our personal lives where digital technology has made a massive impact is how we make friends and stay connected with people.
Making friends in 2023 has gone digital
This is easy to see when you consider how we build and maintain friendships now compared to times gone by. While we might have chatted to friends in person 20 or 30 years ago, we now rely on text messages and emails to do the same.
Developing new friendships is also something which has changed over time and has experienced a real shift in how we go about it. While this may have relied on us meeting people in the real world previously, modern times have led this to become a more online affair. There are now many safe, fun and easy to use digital platforms to build friendships on.
Here are some of the best sites to consider using:
Social casino sites
One example of somewhere online you can build digital friendships are the best social casinos. This is really no surprise when you take the name into account and how this type of online gaming site differs from more traditional online casinos.
Social iGaming platforms help you to build lasting friendships by including features such as a ‘Chat’ function, which many gaming sites like this have built into their design. This feature enables players to chat with one another and build lasting connections over time. In addition to making it easy to meet new people when gaming, it also makes it simple to maintain these friendships when you log onto play.
By using this ‘Chat’ feature, players are able to engage in friendly banter, discuss gaming strategies or simply find out more about each other. Due to this, these kinds of casino are very welcoming places to game and a great place to make friends online. This is especially true if you game at one site for a long time and forge close online links with other players who have done the same.
Online video games
With the size of the global online gaming market in 2022 estimated to have hit around $203bn, it is clear how popular playing games in this way is. These types of games can also be a great place to create, manage and enjoy digital friendships.
As all the action takes place online, it represents an ideal way to get to know fellow gamers you play with online more closely. It allows you to connect with people who love playing the same sorts of games as you, whether that is sports titles or first-person shooters.
Perhaps the best way to make friends when playing video games online is to invest in a headset and simply talk to the people you are gaming with. This can often be easiest when playing titles such as Rainbow Six Siege, which involve playing as a part of a team. By chatting online to those you game with, you can get to know them better and build an online friendship.
Once you have got to know certain people well over a period of time, you may then want to continue your chats online outside of gaming itself. This could mean chatting via text, via a WhatsApp group, over email or via video call. If you do think about doing this, it is key to always stay safe, only ever swap details with people you know very well and only chat with people you trust on other online mediums.
Video/live streaming platforms
YouTube is a real phenomenon and allows millions of people all over the world to access the video content it offers. Over time, this has led to communities growing around certain popular YouTubers and well-followed YouTube channels.
One way to build friendships in the online arena is to interact with people who follow the same people/channels you like. This is usually done on the YouTube platform itself by leaving comments under videos and chatting with other people in this way. Some live events on YouTube will also have a chat feature where you can talk to other people in real-time to build connections.
In a similar way, you can also use live streaming platforms such as Twitch to do the same thing. By watching streamers on platforms like this, you can also chat to others doing the same thing. This is another easy and simple way to meet people via the internet.
Social media
Of course, social media websites need to be mentioned when talking about the best places to make friends online in 2023. For many people, platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are the go-to choice for finding new people to interact with online. When you think of the global reach these websites have and the billions of users the most popular boast between them, this makes perfect sense.
Even better, social media sites are free to use, easy to access and simple to learn to use. They also are likely to contain plenty of people who like the same things as you do and are looking for new friends to connect with. One tip is to think about how you like to interact with people before choosing which to use. Instagram for example is more about posting/commenting on photos, while Twitter is more about the written word.
To get the most from building online friendships in this way, make sure to follow people who share the same interests as you and always be polite when chatting with others. Another tip is to actively engage with other social media users and comment on their posts. This is by far the quickest way to meet new people and build online friendships in this arena.
Community focused websites
If you are new to an area and looking for friends online nearby, community focused websites are a good choice. The most well-known one is currently Nextdoor, which is a platform that focuses on specific neighborhoods and the people within them. If you have just moved to New York from LA for example, signing up with the Nextdoor group dedicated to your part of NYC can help you meet people online from that specific community.
As you can imagine, this can really help you settle into a new place and get some expert local knowledge to rely on. In addition, it can help you build online friendships with people who live nearby, and may feel like meeting in real-life eventually.
Friendship apps and websites
Top apps and software are crucial in many parts of daily life and can also prove key for making friends online in 2023. Dedicated friendship websites are a case in point and popular examples to consider using include Meetup or Friended. With many digital platforms like this being free to create an account with and easy to use, they are an option worth considering.
The most popular examples also have lots of people using them, so you are bound to find someone to chat to online who is into the same things as you. As you do not have to leave the house to use apps or websites like this, they also offer a very convenient way to connect with other people online.
Online forums
Perhaps the last major option for meeting new people digitally are online forums. These have been around for many years now and are online discussion groups dedicated to certain subjects. As a result, you can find busy forums on subjects from gaming to baking, rock music and crafting.
Free to use and simple to sign up with, online forums always have people around to chat with and are often lively places to meet new people. Most popular forums also tend to have a batch of regular users, so you can really get to know them over time.
Finding a forum to get involved with is as simple as conducting an online search for one which is based on something you are interested in. Once you have found one you like, you just need to create an account and start meeting other users.
Building digital friendships in 2023
2023 is a year where we are continuing to see the impact and importance of digital technologies on daily life grow. This means that we are using this kind of tech more than ever to meet new people and build real friendships. If you are struggling to make friends in real-life where you live or are in an isolated place with few others to befriend, heading online is a great alternative. Online friendships can also be a good option if you prefer the convenience and safety of meeting new people from your own home.
