There was a time in my life when I had a single friend. I knew her from school. My English was still rusty, having just moved to the United States that year, and I was still in the midst of learning American culture and its uniqueness. I can’t remember that friend’s name anymore but I remember her face. She was Asian, I remember because we both had accents when we spoke. She always laughed at my jokes and listened to my broken English as I listened to hers.

Something to know about me is that I am a very talkative and opinionated person. I always have to comment on things or give my input. You can only imagine the unfulfillment I felt at that time when the only person I had to talk to was my friend at school. My parents were barely home, and my brother and I still were unable to stay in one room without fighting. So all of my thoughts and comments went unheard 80% of the time. I felt like there had to be somewhere I could speak and people would listen.

And there was. The internet.

I’m honestly not sure how I stumbled upon online communities, I think it really started with youtube and then moved on to Instagram as I had made a fan account for One Direction. I know, it sounds a little crazy, but the people there were nice. We all understood each other’s rants on Harry’s beautiful hair and the band’s new amazing song. I was able to voice my opinions on everything on there, no matter who saw it. I met some great people on the internet as well. Obviously, I was safe about it and never even revealed my real name to most of them, but I was still able to connect with a couple of people in ways I hadn’t in a really long time. I was able to open up more than ever.

Slowly, thanks to the help of my internet friends, I was able to gain more confidence in my English and my social skills, which had felt lost for a while. After making internet friends I started making more real-life friends too. By my third year in the US, I had a whopping four friends in school. But to me, that was enough.

It’s a little ridiculous, but I really believe technology has helped me a lot in developing myself to be a more involved member in my community, being able to reach out to more people. And mine is a rare case, but I cherish what technology has done for me. Thanks to technology, I’ve met some great people, been exposed to things I would never have otherwise seen, and learned a lot about myself and what I identify myself with. I think if used properly technology could be a great tool for humans even in social aspects.