OPINION: Saying hi to someone you met online

A lot of people don’t know this, but I’m a part of a unique community of Gen Z which is commonly referred to as “chronically online.”

The term refers to someone who is primarily social in online spaces and seeks validation through their interactions on the internet. This has been increasingly common in my generation which grew up on social media, YouTube and cell phones.

What’s important about the word “chronically” in this term is the difference in priority. Chronically online people find their social fill through online spaces, which has different side effects.

Despite growing up in Iowa, I found my interests in media (movies and video games) rather than sports or in person events. I’ll clarify that I don’t think I tried very hard to be social in person, but I knew ever since elementary school I was a little different from those around me.

I could say that I was a lonely kid, but I don’t think that’s the case; I just had different interests than those around me. I still had friends with similar interests, especially my good friends Nate and Noah who were more influential to me than anything else.

It’s just that I was far more intense with what should be casual hobbies with both movies and video games. Far more than what was good for academics, financial decisions and my personal health.

Just as nerd culture plundered online spaces, I found myself absorbed into a world where my interests were not only supported but also fulfilled. Going from a world I was made fun of for liking “computer games” to one where I could relax was gratifying.

I have an alter ego in my online presence (a username which I will never tell a soul for privacy and for the fact that digital footprint extends to before I had shame), which is completely different from how I interact with people in real life.

What’s most important is the fact I made friends with people online. For those unfamiliar, competitive video games match people together on a team across a region based on similar skill level. Anyone could meet someone by being matched on the same team and communicating through voice chat.

Starting in high school, I would make lifelong friends across the country (and sometimes farther, I have a friend I met online who lives in Japan) through complete random chance by algorithms.

I wouldn’t say it’s unique to us zoomers - millennials had the first interactions with online culture - but I believe our generation is the most prevalent online. This is especially true when the world went online during the pandemic.

This is 100% real and a little embarrassing, but I used to stream myself playing video games on Twitch to my online friends. During the pandemic, I was a little successful, making about $1,000 through a hobby I engaged in after working part-time jobs to save for college.

Those who read that paragraph who have zero clue what I’m talking about are probably flabbergasted, but the important thing is that I found a community online which I found personally fulfilling and rewarding to interact with.

I believe I became a funnier person, a more caring individual and, eventually through creating a brief for-fun competitive team for a few video games, gained an ability to lead if I needed to.

Obviously, dynamics online are different from the real world. I discount online friends as real connections, for the virtual world is not a substitute for the grass of nature. But at a time where I felt a little disconnected from those around me, it was comforting to know I could come home to friends.

On Saturday, I took the trip down to Omaha to meet with an online friend for the first time. I didn’t know what he looked like or what his real name was, and vice versa.

I know the stigma of meeting strangers met online, so I only told coworkers was meeting a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time. That was at least partially true.

We met in a public mall, ate dinner, watched the new “Fantastic Four” movie (thought it was OK) and went our separate ways. I learned his name, was a little surprised what he looked like (he was very tall!) and reminisced with him about old Dungeons & Dragons sessions from a campaign we planned to restart soon.

His voice sounded a little different, but that’s the difference when a microphone’s removed. It’s strange to know someone that long and feel like you’re meeting them for the first time. Two worlds colliding. But this is becoming more common in our culture as our generation grapples with the internet.

Gen Z will probably be fine (even though our additions to the English language has been based in irony ever since trash words like rizz, skibidi and sigma entered the vernacular), but I’m curious to see how the next generation will deal with the internet.

Kids are now being raised through phones and YouTube videos. I don’t think it’s a good idea, though. I joke a little about how I don’t think any kid should use the internet until they’re 18, but it’s no joke how I’ve seen parts of online spaces become anarchic and downright mean just for fun. Harassment is easier than ever.

But I wouldn’t want to just leave the internet. I made friends who I never would’ve met otherwise. The utopian view of the internet is so powerful, and still a possibility today. It’s no substitute, but I can’t deny the connections I’ve made.

I met my online friend and we hugged like we’d been friends for years. Because, I guess, we had been.