[rafi_kamal]

I'm 24 I'm already finding it hard to make new good friends. To me a good friend is someone whom I can reach out to without thinking twice, it could be for discussing that shower thought, ranting about the work, asking for suggestions when I'm in trouble, talking about the book I just read. I made quite a few friends since college in the sense that I hang out with them from time to time, but not any good friends.

[Markoff]

why it has to be one person IRL? I can do most of this on reddit and i am way older

[nyedrytdyf]

there are definitely different dynamics. IRL a person will get back to right away; online, your comments can be ignored. IRL, you have the context of the person's personality to supplement the content of what they're saying (for better or for worse, but definitely different).

human communication is also hardly only based on just speaking words, with body language and gestures and facial expressions working to convey full meaning. it is hard to feel warmth in online discussions, or at least harder.

furthermore, online discussion seems much more targeted, and less exploratory in terms of subject matter (this is neutral, not saying better or worse) whereas IRL you can flow from topic to topic. also, i'd say discussing personal topics in person is more rewarding due to a combination of all the above.