Discussion benefits and random chat and do you want a reason to talk to someone you don’t know ? While strangers present opportunities for you to make new friends, you obviously won’t hit it off with every new person you talk to. However, you don’t know where the conversation might lead. Even if you don’t end up making a connection with the person, they might introduce you to someone else who ends up becoming a good friend. For instance, let’s assume that, after striking up a conversation with the lady from the office next door, you find out that you don’t really have much in common. However, as you talk about your likes and interests, she mentions that she has a friend who has a passion for the same things as you. She can introduce you to her friend, who can then end up becoming a great friend. Alternatively, the lady might invite you to a party where you end up meeting more new people and becoming friends with some of them.

Why is identification important? Social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979) posits that our group memberships are just as important as individual identity in defining the self (see Ellemers, Spears, & Doosje, 2002) and thus are equally important determinants of our downstream outcomes mediated by the self-concept (such as well-being and behavior). We suggest that online forums are precisely this type of group; they function as a powerful site of community for their users. Furthermore, it is the development of the sense that this community is meaningfully connected to the self (i.e., forum identification) that creates the dual benefits of individual well-being and offline civic engagement. In other words, identification plays a mediating role that drives the other two outcomes of interest. In this section we highlight two of the many benefits of identification already established in the offline literature that we feel merit closer attention because they map onto our outcomes of interest.

Although the benefits of face-to-face communication are numerous, there would still be some disadvantages to be addressed. For example, it can be tricky to actually find the time to meet people. Emailing and texting are faster especially if the other person you want to communicate with is in another country. Moreover, some people find it hard to communicate chat. Also, getting the same message across to different people may be hard with chat communication. However, these few disadvantages can be overcome by setting a video conference through a platform like TalkWithStranger. Explore a few extra info on gay chat.

There is the direct question of whether relationships continue to flourish in the internet age. Are there the same kinds of ties – in both quantity and quality – that flourished in pre-internet times? Do people have more or fewer relationships? Do they have more or less contact with friends and relatives? Does the ability of the internet to connect instantly around the world mean that far-flung ties now predominate over neighborly relations? More broadly, does internet contact take away from people’s in-person contacts or add to them?

Social media helps teens feel more connected to their friends’ feelings and daily lives, and also offers teens a place to receive support from others during challenging times. 83% of teen social media users say social media makes them feel more connected to information about their friends’ lives. 70% of social media-using teens feel better connected to their friends’ feelings through social media. 68% of teen social media users have had people on the platforms supporting them through tough or challenging times. Read additional details at cam to cam.