How to Make Friends on the Internet: 2021 Edition

April 2021: the past few weeks have felt oddly familiar.

2005 internet familiar. I find myself waking up to my phone buzzing with Twitter notifications of people I’ve never met in real life, but with whom I chat daily.

We share common interests, goals, struggles. Long story short, I made new friends.

Here’s how you genuinely bond online in 2021:

• Be vulnerable.

You don’t like talking to a-holes.

Guess what? Nobody does. If you’re not willing to be low ego and approachable, please do everyone a favour and stay away.

• Help out.

Added value is magnetic on the internet.

If you want great people to interact with you, you’d better make their time worthwhile.

• Take a genuine interest.

Attention is the new currency online, and we are all craving it.

If you want to earn some you’ve got to spend some. Listen selflessly, who knows what you’re going to learn.

• Connect the dots.

No matter how different you think you are from others, there are similarities in your background and your struggles.