Yes, I do think online friendships can be as strong as real life friendships. In fact, it can be even stronger in comparison! Although, I have a very small circle of friends, there are some online friends with whom I can share things that I can't share with my in-person ones. It's the warmth we feel which sometimes in-person friendships fail to provide. It is not necessary to be true with all. It just depends on the people you are meeting online and offline.