An Introvert’s Guide To Making Friends Online (With Tips)
When you hear the word ‘introvert’, the first picture that your brain will paint for you will be the face of the person you consider to have the traits of an introvert. Sometimes, it might even be your face! The standard characteristic features of all introverts include a reserved nature, reflective and quiet personality, and limited social interaction. While the quality of being an introvert is often regarded as a range in the social spectrum rather than a rigid personality type, there’s something that most introverts struggle with- starting conversations with strangers and not limiting it to small talk. Therefore, it can become difficult for introverts to make friends online or in person.
As human beings, we connect with other people through social interaction. Social interaction is essential for our survival. And that’s what most introverts struggle with when it comes to beginning conversations with strangers, especially when they meet new people in person. It results in them having fewer friends than those of a different personality type. What’s more obvious but simultaneously alarming is that introverts are more susceptible to developing mental conditions like depression (blame it on limited social interaction). So what’s the way out? Simple, get a video call app!
You read that right. As an introvert, you might be surprised, but the one straightforward approach to tackle it is by stepping out of your comfort zone. But to make things easier, we will begin by interacting with people online.
- Step one: You’ll need an app to meet people online. The reason why we suggest online interaction over in-person interactions is to avoid awkwardness. Let’s be honest; as an introvert, closing an app would be much easier than finding reasons to end a conversation.
- Step two: Join a conversation with a random stranger. It’s easy. Well, maybe. Firstly, breathe deeply to calm yourself down. Talking to strangers for the first time can feel overwhelming. But a true benefit that these apps give you is that the people you’re going to meet will be just as nervous as you. You may even come across some fellow introverts on the live video chat.
- Step three: Start the conversation by introducing yourself to each other. Ask them questions like their name, the country they are from, the languages they speak, or anything under the sun that they would be comfortable answering. Tell them some details about yourself while being cautious that you don’t disclose any sensitive information about yourself. At this point, you’re expected to have found a common interest that connects both of you. If that’s the case, that’s great! But don’t feel awkward if you can’t find anything familiar between the both of you.
- Step four: If you can’t start a conversation, don’t worry; discuss another topic you would like to discuss or would like your future friend to discuss. Ask them about their unique experiences and tell them about yours. Another benefit that live video call apps offer is that latency is eliminated. Imagine if you were having this conversation over text and have yet to hear back after a significant amount of time. Not only would that have made your experience awkward, but it could’ve also brought down your self-esteem. This problem doesn’t exist with live video calls where the person is supposed to respond to you no matter what.
- Step five: Even if the conversation were short, you would’ve by now known if you’d like to talk to that person in the future. If you would, add them to your friend list and schedule a future call. Great, now you’ve just made a new friend!
