Have you made friendships that exist exclusively in cyberspace? If so, how are they different from f2f relationships? If you have not formed cyber relationships, why not?
When I was in my early teens I used to be addicted to my computer and the internet. I would always be in the teen chat rooms or posting in forums about celebrities, clothes- whatever! I ended up adding a couple of people to my buddy list and would talk to them separately from the room. Looking back on it, I was more liberal about it than I would be now. I think that people (at least I was) can feel more comfortable discussing certain issues in a cyber relationship. There is an anonymity that is very enticing. You can re-invent yourself. You can't see someone's facial expression or read their body language and if you feel you must, you can block someone from contacting you all together. I think the downfall is that for people on dating sites, people can misrepresent themselves and that’s how hearts get broken. My friend that moved to New York and I signed up on Skype, she was instantly contacted by some stranger in Miami that “Skyped her.” She started talking to him for a couple of days. I was so critical of her because she doesn’t know this person. What could they possibly want? Currently I have no cyber relationships and don’t plan on starting any either. When I am too analytical and wouldn’t be able to trust anyone hiding behind a computer screen halfway around the world.
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I find your experience with online relationships to be very interesting. You were very interested in communicating online and forming relationships online when you were younger, and now as you have gotten older you are more skeptical. I wonder if this might be because we (society) now know that these kind of relationships have the option of being dangerous. How many 20/20 episodes or "To Catch A Predator" episodes do we need to see. I think you are right that we cannot be too careful. I hope your friend has been careful with her relationships and takes your advice as well!
ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate to your experiences in online relationships as my post is similar to yours. Like you, when I was younger I was much more involved in chat rooms and forums. My friends and I would get together and talk to random people online because we thought it was funny or interesting to meet someone new that we wouldn’t be able to see in person. But now that I am older, I definitely realize the dangers in online relationships. You can never be sure someone is who they say they are – you will never get this assurance from an online relationship as you would in a face to face one.
ReplyDeleteMiss Jackson, you brought up a very interesting point, dating websites. I don't have any relationships that exist solely online. I have read that some people entered fan sites and have made solid relationships with people that they were in contact with. It is interesting to see people who join dating websites like eHarmony, where they think that they will be matched with the love of their life over the internet. Seeing the ads on television in which people share their testimonials on how great eHarmony set them up with the love of their lives, maybe it works? I highly doubt it. You can't base everything you read off the internet. But maybe it's because I am a skeptic.
ReplyDeleteMiss Jackson,
ReplyDeleteI think your skepticism of cyber relationships is appropriate. There is just too much room for deception on the internet, especially with the dating sites you mentioned.
I found your term “reinventing” very interesting because that is exactly what happens. In a way people create their own “avatars” or online characters, and portray it as themselves. One might wonder how many of these people just consider this whole dating thing as a game, or a venue to toy with the unsuspecting.
Now I am not saying that no good has ever come out of online relationships, quite the contrary. But I do believe that the room for deception is just large enough to leave careful and cautious people with a raised eyebrow.