I've been where the author is, but the truth is - even with that loneliness, Online friendships have improved the quality of my life tremendously. I've never really had more than 1-2 friends outside of family, and often have had zero. I'm pretty weird. Even when I can relate to people, they can't always relate to me. People aren't there any more or less with the distance, and I don't require meeting people to seal a bond. Some 8 years ago, I met my husband online, playing a silly little browser game, and 5 years later moved across an ocean after marrying him. I have people I talk to daily that I've never met, who are weirdly more there for me than most 'real' friends. I'm gladly not having to rely on telephone calls or paper letters to stay in touch with family in the States. For me to get the same sort of social freedom, I would have a life goal of living in a large city in a liberal area, but that is not so needed.
I've known people to have some of the worst stuff happen to them. But just the same, people get into abusive and dishonest relationships without them being online. Some people just come and go, and to be fair, the author was only out there a month or so. That is hardly time to develop a 'real life' friendship, let alone the online sort.
The sort of friendship doesn't fill many people's needs, especially if they truly have other sorts of options, and that is all ok, but to me, it is all worth it.