The whole internet is one step removed from the physical world. The most powerful aspects of the internet are mirrors of the offline world, but replications of the external world aren’t the actual external world. It is the real internet, but that’s all it can be. Yes, you can make real friends on there. But nondigital reality is still a useful test for that friendship. As soon as you step away from the internet—for a minute, an hour, a day, a week—it is surprising how quickly it disappears from your mind.
