Face-to-face friendship is risky. It doesn’t make emotions easy. It makes emotions into, well, emotions. An in-person exchange cultivates empathy because you are able to experience the whole person, the tone of their voice, the way they hold their body, the way they respond to you. It demands vulnerability — there is no “just right” distance available when someone makes demands right now. And without the benefit of editing, we are more likely to show ourselves as we are, not as who we want to be. Online we can have attachments that are exciting and interesting. But part of appreciating their reality is understanding what they can’t bring us. Now … Continue reading Sherry Turkle