I think one of the main differences between online socializing and face-to-face socializing is that, in the former, it's easier to ignore people. If you don't like someone, you can just remove him or her from your friends list. But in "real life", you're often stuck for a long time with the people you work with, your neighbour, your partner or whoever else happens to be part of your life. And since we can't ignore people in flesh and blood as easily, that gives us more incentive to try to understand them or get along with them.
A good thing about online socializing is that people often dare to have more fun and let go of their inhibitions a bit more, which can often lead to interesting discussions.
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