The Impact of Internet Technologies on the Formation of Romantic Relationships

Analysis

Despite the growing popularity of forming relationships online, there has been widespread public discourse about the dangers of meeting strangers online and the potential threats of sexual predators, cyber-stalking or identity theft. Results from the surveyed participants suggested that users generally perceive online dating environments to be ‘safer’ than traditional mating venues because they are anonymous this means that there is a security factor involved in the decision to go online in search of relationships with the opposite sex. While there are some dangers involved in online relationships, most of the respondents indicated that the Internet has helped them to improve and maintain personal relationships and friendships, and to meet new people. The majority of the research participants identified geographic proximity as an influencing factor in their selection of prospective dates, as well as in their preferred choice of online dating site.

Although two of our respondents had managed long-distance relationships online for short periods of time, the majority of the respondents who spoke about physical proximity issues suggested there is little point to meeting people who live a long distance away if your purpose is to form a face-to-face relationship. The importance of physical proximity between people who intend to form and sustain face-to-face relationships seems like an obvious concern. However, it is more important to note the extent to which online technologies provide new sites facilitating social interaction in which users meet people with whom they would otherwise not come in to contact. A number of the respondents identified the freedom of meeting people outside of their own social networks as a major benefit of online dating. For example, one of my respondents, who was a 25-year-old single, straight male, highlighted this idea saying “It elevates you out of your social circle, and you’re sort of broadcast to a broad bunch of people, and if you’re fairly open-ended in your profile, and not so descriptive about what you do or don’t do, then you get the opportunity to meet lots of different people that you would never know other than that.” Other respondents cited the benefits of forming online relationships as opposed to those in the “real world” because there is a true sense of anonymity that reduces many of the fears and uncertainties individuals typically experience when it comes to initiating romantic relationships. Anonymity facilitates communication because it eliminates many of the unspoken social rules that apply in face-to-face encounters. A 33-year-old, single straight female respondent addressed this issue with comments such as “I think the fact that you never have to see them again is wonderful. You know, if it’s family or friends, or work or whatever, and it doesn’t work out, then you’ve got all the awkwardness … that carries into your life and relationships.” In addition, “later research suggested that anonymity on the Internet allows people to disclose more than they would in a face-to-face interaction (Toohey, 2007).” This suggests that people who are anxious in social situations and lonely are probably more likely to feel that they have the freedom to express their real selves with others on the Internet more so than they can with those they know offline. When asked to compare and contrast offline communication with computer mediated communication, the majority of the respondents agreed that most significant difference was the lack of nonverbal communication and many claimed that Internet relationships seem more impersonal, which may affect people’s perceptions and their interpretations of others’ behavior online. Due to the fact that online users cannot see facial expressions, gestures or appearances or hear changes in tone of voice, interpretations of messages can be extremely difficult.