i think this is a real opinion and a real question that deseves to be addressed
obviously we know an internet hug is not the same as a real hug, and cant replace or come even close to the physical touch of another human
but we are a community of humans here, despite the separation of distance, and as such we are constantly reaching out and touching each other in many ways as we normally communicate by posting and reading eachother's thoughts
this is how real human relationships develop, so that when i am am internet hugging you it means that i am really thinking about you the person, not just some abstract entity that causes words on a screen, but a real person that i am in contact with. even thousands of miles away i can help you carry whatever burden of sorrow no matter how heavy, and i can shine a little light in the darkness of your lonliness, and i can share the joy of your celebrations.
all of this without judgment and without conditions, without any motivation to get anything from you, with no reason to be fake or anything like that, just friends saying to each other: despite all the bullshit, i care.
if that still seems stupid or worthless then maybe its because thats not what you need right now, but some people do need that, and it is not stupid or worthless to them. understanding that, it is not stupid or worthless to me, because i see it as a kind of pure uncoerced acknowledgment of self that crosses all barriers.
but i didnt come here to write a philosophical perspective on the socio-psychological value of internet huggles
