All over the world online dating has become one of the fastest growing industries .Thousand and hundreds of people log on to one or more of the growing number of sites available every day;while some are looking for serious relationships, others are looking for friendship and companions, and still others for casual flings and that extra ‘bit on the side’.
Some online dating sites claim to be solely for genuine singles seeking long term commited relationships, others turn a blind eye to, or even actively encourage,
cohabiting or married members who may or may not use the sites with the blessing of their spouse or partner.Frankly many people who use online dating sites do so only for exchanging messages and for chatting and never border to meet face to face; Since its inception and steady growth as a means of communication tool,the internet has become increasingly possible for users to conduct deeply involved, real time relationships with people online.
So does this change anything with regard to the old ways of doing things? When and how does an online relationship become ‘intimate’? Can you fall in love with an online date, and can you cheat on someone, or with someone, who is in a different time zone?
In a recent study Dr Martin Graff of the University of Glamorgan showed that our perceptions of what does and does not constitute ‘cheating’ online are affected by a variety of factors – most prominently, and perhaps most unsurprisingly, by the amount of information dating site users are prepared to give out about themselves; Dr Graff further explains
“From this study, it seems that the greater the level of typed disclosure, then the stronger the perception of infidelity.”
Seemingly, in the absence of the 'nonverbal cues' on which face to face interaction relies so strongly, how much we are prepared to give away about ourselves is the primary indicator of how intimate our online relationships are and by extension, the degree of unfaithfulness inherent in the actions of non single site users.
Perhaps more surprisingly, the study also showed that the time of day at which online encounters took place was also a key factor in establishing infidelity, concluding that
“Exchanges later in the evening were perceived to be more infelicitous, than those which might take place in the day or early evening.”
Dr Graff's study is ongoing and subsequent phases will look at the issues of jealousy and trust in context of online relationships.
Ultimately many intelligent people are still out on exactly what constitutes online infidelity and indeed relationships over the internet as a whole.For now we do not know if a firm conclusion will ever be reached as to what infidelity is in the world of online dating and relationships, as in 'real life', will always be immensely subjective due to the differing moral standards and emotional responses of the individuals involved. Studies like Dr Graff's can however provide a fascinating insight into the human causes and effects of the modern world, and how these are shaped by the direction of our rapidly developing and changing communications technology.
No comments:
Post a Comment