Pros and cons of Internet friendships.

Meg Hoechlin is an average teenager. She plays several sports, is involved in her school, and likes to hang out with friends.

There's just one thing.

Hoechlin is not able to hang out with a lot of her friends in person because she has never met them outside of a computer monitor. Many of her friends live in far-flung places across the country.

And she met them through social media.

"Some of the people I trust most in the world are Internet friends, simply because they are judgment-free," said Hoechlin, a 17-year-old senior.

Hoechlin spends a lot of time on Tumblr, a website that houses a community of blogs and allows users to share anything from pictures to text posts.

Through similar interests, Hoechlin was able to form connections.

These connections evolved from following each other's blogs to talking about shared likes, and then growing into friendships.

Hoechlin believes that she gets as much from Internet friends as she does her "real-life" friends.

Although she said she hates the term "real life," Hoechlin considers her online friendships to be just as genuine as the offline ones.

The only disadvantage she sees is that in Internet friendships, she cannot converse with or provide aid and comfort in person.

"We are all just teenagers searching for a place to belong because there's something about the real world that just doesn't quite fit," Hoechlin said.

Society stresses making a good impression.

With Internet friendships, this issue is nonexistent. Initially, one cannot see what others are wearing, or how they look.

Appearance is stripped away, leaving personality.

Everyone is equal online: grades, economic status, and appearance are meaningless.

But what about the potential dangers of this anonymous interaction?

Hoechlin said that the concerns are not unfounded, but they are misleading.

"It's a trusting environment because those who uphold it are smart, educated, and safe," Hoechlin said.

"We have Skype and video chats and FaceTime and thousands of ways to be sure who you're talking to is who they proclaim to be."

With the safeguards, parents should be able to feel more secure about their children conversing with others in far-away places.

Hoechlin's parents feel that they can trust their daughter because they know she is intelligent. They've educated her about online safety, and trust her to follow their teachings.

Hoechlin's online friends tell their parents about her.

"I've even Skyped with some of their parents," she said.

"If anything, Internet friends are beneficial," Hoechlin said.

"Teenagers are being given the opportunity to expand their horizons and learn about different cultures and environments before they're sent out into the real world. They're being given world views without leaving their homes."