Socializing Online The prevalence of internet and social media has dramatically altered people’s socializing habits in modern societies, especially city dwellers. Without the necessity of meeting each other in person, this new way of making friends has brought in convenience but also a lot more drawbacks. It is undeniable that online socializing benefits people by saving their time, as they can send and reply to messages of their friends whenever they want and wherever they are, using their mobile devices like cellphones, ipads and personal computers. For example, people can socialize with others even when they are on a subway or train, or are waiting in a queue, making the most of their time with no need to set aside specific time hanging out with friends. This is especially preferred by young people now, who normally lead a fast pace of life and need to utilize their fragment time in an optimal way. On the other hand, however, this means of socializing is virtual and sometimes illusory, as people can easily hide their authentic personalities in the virtual world and manifest fake figures instead. If people just talk with a friend online and get to know him/her through the pictures and information posted on the social network without spending time with them in the reality, it would be hard for this person to tell the true character of his friend. Moreover, there might be a situation that two persons can get along well with affinity online, but become strangers and do not know how to act in the real world. This is because their socializing ability has degraded with the increasing use of online social media. To conclude, although socializing online may meet some people’s need for making friends effectively, I still believe that it cannot reach the same effect as making friends in reality does, and it retards the establishment of genuine and long-lasting friendships.