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How Virtual Relationships Impact Society

Jordan Petersen
COMM 2500
May 7, 2015

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How Virtual Relationships Impact Society

We live in a time where electronic technology is a huge part of our everyday lives. Most
people now have smart phones, which allow them to have access just by pulling the internet out
of their pocket. There are quite a substantial amount of individuals who own desktop computers,
laptops, and tablets as well. How do people use the internet? One of the most popular reasons for
internet use is social media and part of social media includes virtual relationships. Virtual
relationships can be defined as a relationship between people through the internet or other form
of media communication. A lot of people turn to online relationships for a variety of reasons, but
regardless of the reason, it still has the power to affect society, in both good and bad ways. The
main ways society is impacted by virtual relationships can be seen through is the simplicity of
using the internet to connect with somebody compared to the normal way and the dangers of
virtual relationships.
The internet makes it possible for people to meet others around the world. People are not
limited to meeting new friends in their local area, like they used to be. There are so many
different options for seeking virtual relationships. One can meet new people through social
media and dating websites. As a result, there is a greater chance to find someone to talk to.
Talking to someone online might lead to a physical relationship later on, where people can talk
face-to-face with each other.
In an experiment done by researchers, Veronica M. Scott, Karen E. Mottarella, and Maria
J. Lavooy, the results implied that face-to-face relationships are much more valuable than virtual
relationships for most individuals. Our virtual relators reported significantly lower intimacy on
the Sternberg and Rubin Scales in their virtual relationships compared to their own face-to-face

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romantic relationships, they say. However, if that individual has had bad experiences with faceto-face relationships, then they will probably seek virtual relationships (Scott, Mottarella, and
Lavooy). The study demonstrates the psychology behind online relationships and why someone
would want to do this over meeting people the traditional way. It is one of the factors as to why
virtual relationships even exist. Some research shows that face-to-face relationships will have a
longer lasting commitment than online relationships while other research shows that many
couples have formed because of finding each other online. In fact, more people actually meet
online than in places like schools, bars, or parties, a Washington Post author states (Dewey).
Because of this, dating websites have become a big business and there are so many of
them out there. There are a lot of different options available, with different techniques to match
two people together by their compatibility. But because there are also a lot of people on these
sites, there can either be more matches or it can be like finding a needle in a haystack. Another
setback is that some people just get on these sites because they are curious and want to see what
will happen, not necessarily looking for someone to talk to (Ulick, Wodtke). Some of the online
dating websites include Match.com and Yahoo! Personals (Ulick, Wodtke). Each website will
have different qualities and methods of how it will match two individuals.
Most of the time, positive consequences can come from virtual relationships, but not all
of the time. People can pretend to be something they are not through the internet. They might lie
about their age, gender, and even their name sometimes. They could also use a profile picture
that isnt really them. This can lead to hurt emotions for the person being lied to since they are
engaged in an emotional bond with someone who betrayed them. In some cases, it can lead to a
very dangerous situation if a person plans to meet with them outside of the cyber world.

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There have been unfortunate events that have happened because of online relationships. It
is difficult to know who the other person is that you are talking to and you might willingly plan
to meet them somewhere where they can hurt you physically. This is why it is essential to be
cautious when talking to someone through the internet. Besides meeting a stranger in person,
some people will already know the person outside of the cyber world but will continue to talk to
them through the internet. The internet can sometimes make a person behave differently from
what they would do in real life. They might make rude comments towards another person
because it does not feel like the other person on the receiving end will hear if you cant see them.
This can be a big problem, especially among teenagers.
In a child and adolescent behavior letter addressed to parents, it was reported that many
youths have been involved in online relationships. A study showed that a large handful of these
youths either started the cyber abuse or they were the victim of cyber abuse. ("Cyber Dating
Abuse In Teens"). Males were more likely to sexually cyber abuse someone than females, but
females were more likely to non-sexually cyber abuse another person. ("Cyber Dating Abuse
In Teens"). Cyberbullying happens very frequently. In a survey by Sameer Hinduja and Justin
Patchin, 14 % of 10 to 18 year olds living in the southern United States had been bullied online
in the past 30 days (Meadows). But even if people treat each other nicely through the internet, a
romantic relationship would be hard to achieve because of the lack of physical contact.
Physical contact is important in sexual relationships, yet more people are choosing to
have sexual relationships through the internet. They are virtual flirting with other people
(Alapack, Blichfeldt, and Elden). This is quite common in chat rooms. With chat rooms, the only
communication going on is the words typed to each other. Communicating through touch,
gestures, tone of voice, and facial expressions does not exist unless one of the chatters calls the

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other person or sends a video chat. Normally, a person would decide to talk to another based on
their attractiveness. In chat rooms, it is based on what the person might look like through their
text, such as creating a mental image (Alapack, Blichfeldt, and Elden). This could potentially
disable the possibility of being emotionally invested. It would be somewhat difficult to have a
deep connection with someone if you cannot hear the tone of their voice, see their reaction to
your responses, and feel the embrace of a simple hug.
Virtual relationships are starting to become more common and it has the ability to affect
society in both positive and negative ways. On the one hand, it is easier to find someone to have
a connection with online than finding someone in person. On the other hand, virtual relationships
can lead to a scary situation or just leave the person emotionally damaged. Either way, the
number of social media and online dating websites are increasing rapidly and society will have to
adapt.

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Works Cited
Alapack, Richard, Mathilde Flydal Blichfeldt, and Aake Elden. "Flirting On The Internet And
The Hickey: A Hermeneutic." Cyberpsychology & Behavior 8.1 (2005): 52-61. Academic
Search Premier. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.
"Cyber Dating Abuse In Teens." Brown University Child & Adolescent Behavior Letter 29.4
(2013): 2. Professional Development Collection. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.
Dewey, Caitlin. Does online dating work? Lets be honest: We have no idea. Washington Post.
30 Sep. 2015. Web. 28 April 2015.
Meadows, Jennifer Harman. "Social Networking." Ed. August E. Grant. Communication
Technology Update and Fundamentals. 13th ed. Waltham, MA: Focal, 2012. 275-85.
Print.
Scott, Veronica M., Karen E. Mottarella, and Maria J. Lavooy. "Does Virtual Intimacy Exist? A
Brief Exploration Into Reported Levels Of Intimacy In Online Relationships."
Cyberpsychology & Behavior 9.6 (2006): 759-761. Business Source Premier. Web. 26
Apr. 2015.
Ulick, Terry, and Alyssa Wodtke. Truth, Lies, And Online Dating : Secrets To Finding Romance
On The Internet. Boston, MA: Thomson Course Technology PTR, 2005. eBook
Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 26 Apr. 2015