It’s no secret that I love social media. I’m one of those super annoying people who tweets basically anything that comes to mind. In fact, I just reached 15,000 tweets last week. I follow over 1,500 people on Twitter, most of whom are celebrities, authors, and people I don’t know. While some people strive to become famous via YouTube, I’ve often said that I want to become Twitter-famous, or at least awesome enough to have that little blue check mark.

I have pretty much every form of social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. And I use most of them daily. I even run the Coffee House Writers Twitter and Instagram account. So with being an online, very involved student… I basically live on the internet.

That being said, while I do have a public Twitter account, my more-personal stuff goes on Facebook. Because regardless of my habits on other platforms, I do not add people I don’t know on Facebook. I’ve never been one to make online friends. Primarily because I grew up being told to not talk to strangers and to not trust people online— they’re all creepers, right?

No, they’re not. In the last year and a half, I have started to occasionally accept friend requests and add people who I don’t personally know. Now, almost all of them are people I’ve met through school or Coffee House Writers, but there are a few from various Facebook groups as well.

Facebook is known for being great at keeping in touch with long-distance friends and family. But I never thought I’d be one to make long-distance friends online. When I added some friends from school, I thought we would just become acquaintances who might like each other’s posts, but probably never talk.

Never did I think they would become some of my best friends. Never did I think they’d be the ones I talk to on a daily basis. Never did I think they would become the type of friends I really open up to.

And, boy was I wrong! Although we’ve never met in person, some of them have honestly become my best friends. They’re the ones I get excited to tell happy news to. They’re the ones I talk to when I’m feeling depressed or need encouragement. They have become this incredible support system, one I didn’t even realize I needed.

So this one is for them. For the ones I stay up all night talking to. For the ones who have so much in common with me that it’s scary sometimes. For the ones who put up with my over-usage of GIFS (fur sure). For the ones who make me laugh, recommend awesome shows and books, and make me feel like I’m not alone. You know who you are.

Thank you.