Virtual Relationships example essay topic

Internet Relationships The internet today has revolutionized the way people think, feel, and interact. They now have cyber feelings, cyber crimes, and virtual love. Almost anything that can be done in person can be done through the internet. Shopping, watching movies, and now dating: all done with no human interaction.

Typing messages and emails back and forth are a way for people to interact without facial expression, voice infliction, or eye contact. Virtual relationships that blossom from everyday internet messaging and chat rooms are precisely what their name implies - virtual. People are easily intoxicated by the power of being anonymous. These virtual relationships can usually end up in one of two scenarios. In one scenario the two people involved are more honest with each other than they would be in the real world. After all, there is the shield of the internet to protect them.

Alternately, one or both of the individuals will lie about themselves and their lives. Why not? All there is in the way of identification is a screen name, and in some cases a profile that can be altered to say whatever that person wants. What is there to stop anyone from assuming the role of a doctor, or a lawyer?

Lew 2 This is not a condemnation for internet relationships. A major argument supporting internet relationships is that they are more intellectual than physical. This incites a type of nostalgia for some people. A relationship in which the intellectual aspect far outweighs the physical appeals to older individuals. The fact that the relationship is based almost entirely on typed conversation does not sway them. These relationships create the feel of an old fashioned courtship.

In today's fast-paced, exciting world, people seldom have the time for a long and leisurely courtship. With internet relationships there is only imagination, so there can only be a long and drawn out courtship. Offline interactions are quicker to bloom due to the fact that there was something physical about the person that enticed you. Internet relationships are also more difficult to maintain because there is only the person's conversation to identify with. Some virtual relationships actually do cross over into the real world, but only a small percent of them survive.

A meeting is usually arranged and the individuals meet face to face. This is the point when people realize that without the shield of the internet to protect them, they are not so bold. The conversation is not as good and the same spark just is not there. There are also certain dangers involved with a virtual relationship. These problems often stem from the fact that people are indeed anonymous. The cyber-world is just as full of criminals as the real world.

Cyber criminals are sometimes even more devious than their real-world counterparts. A cyber criminal will start a virtual relationship with a person just for the chance to rob them blind. While a person is blissfully typing to a potential suitor, that suitor is stealing their identity by hacking their Lew 3 computer for personal information. Today people keep a lot of personal information on their computer.

Information such as bank statements, credit card numbers, and even social security numbers can be stolen from a computer while online. While there are precautions that can be taken to protect a computer from such attacks, it is much easier for criminals to steal information in a virtual relationship. These criminals often generate fake online accounts that cannot be traced, even by the internet service providers. Extreme caution should be taken while engaging in an online relationship. Virtual relationships can be both good and bad in today's society. If honesty is the keystone the relationship can be wonderful.

It can bring back standards of courtship that have been long forgotten. If, however, deceit and lies are present from the beginning it will be hard to maintain any semblance of a decent relationship. Caution should be exercised from the start when dealing with anonymous internet users. In the end a virtual relationship is what each person makes of it.