Essay On Online Relationships

Little is known about attitudes related to online close relationships. What is known is that, in general, people tend to perceive negatively both online romantic relationships and the people who engage in them. Donn and Sherman7 conducted a study in which they examined attitudes concerning online dating websites and people who engage in online relationships, and found that the impressions of such sites and the formation of online relationships, in general, were relatively negative. Participants also reported being suspicious of potential online deception, greater likelihood of safety concerns with an online versus off-line partner, and that people seeking a relationship online are likely to be “desperate.” In another study of interpersonal

In the past this has been a hot topic in current media. People have become concerned about the "crazies" (as they are often referred to) that are lurking on the Internet. They may also doubt if real relationships are possible online. Perhaps you have been apprehensive to begin an online relationship or worry about the possible effects of staying in one. This section will look at some of the positive and negative factors of online relationships and help to talk about some specific implications of CMC. On the positive side, people may able to form high quality relationships. Online relationships are genuine personal relationships in the eyes of the participants, some people even report that they are much deeper and better quality than real-life friendship (Bruckman, 1992). This is illustrated by the high numbers of people who decide to meet in real life. Parks (1996) found that relationships which begin on-line rarely stay there and may move to telephone, letters, or even meeting face to face. This may represent the way in which relational partners can overcome the limitations of computer mediated