I have some friends on the Internet whom I've never met but I consider friends anyways. I have a friend of over two decades with whom I now only communicate over the internet. Are the relationships real? I think so.
They're not the same as physical friendships - but they're not that different from penpals of another era. Humans are good at finding ways to have relationships over all sorts of media - the internet is just another way to expand one's circle.
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