Compare Online Relationships with Face-to-Face Relationships

Perhaps, to think that online relationships are in some points more superficial,

deceitful or perilous than face-to-face relationship is such a dangerously-shallow deception.

In fact, online relationships aren’t much different from real life relationships. Despite the fact

that people have grown panic towards online relationships lately, face-to-face relationships

themselves don’t serve any fewer disadvantages. Somehow it has been believe to be true that

online relationships and face-to-face relationships are totally unalike, nonetheless the two

relationships share three similarities covering intimacy, sincerity and risks.

The first similarity concerns level of intimacy between two people in the relationship.

Face-to-face relationships allow people to actually meet in person. In a real-life situation,

they can see each other or have conversations with real interaction, such as eyes contact and

body languages. The relationships can develop into further closeness and sometimes the

couples end up with marriage. Similarly, all types of interactions provided in face-to-face

relationships also exists in online relationships. By using interactive devices, such as web

cameras, microphones and speakers, actual talking and seeing becomes possible through the

internet. Deeper intimacies like serious relationships or marriage are also feasible for many

internet couples. A new study of online dating site members has found that when couples

who had built up a significant relationship by e-mailing or chatting online met for the first

time, 94 per cent went on to see each other again. Moreover, the study also shows the

successful relationships which last at least seven months and in some case over a year. This

result proves that online relationships have a similar degree of success as real life ones. (Dr

Gavin and Dr Adrian Scott, 2005) Additionally, according to the online dating research

conducted by Marry Madden and Amanda Lenhart in 2006, nearly 3 million adults have

entered long-term relationships or married their online dating partners. These evidences

confirm that the situation of online dating is not any less real than face-to-face relationships.

Secondly, the two relationships have something in common dealing with sincerity.

In face-to-face relationships there are opportunities to meet not only decent people but also

the spurious. People lie, research has shown, in one-fourth of their daily social face-to-face

interactions especially when it comes to the relationship issues. (Cornell University

communications researchers, n.d.) For example, some lie about having an affair. One study

found that 2/3 of the wives (26 to 36 million women) whose husbands were cheating had no

idea their husbands were having an affair. This’s because their husbands lied to them and

they failed to recognize the telltale signs. Moreover, 25 percent of men and 17 percent of

women had been unfaithful no matter how many years there’ve been married.(National

Opinion Research Center, n.d.) Likewise, online relationships offer both sincerity and

deception. Nowadays, it has been on the news that internet relationships mostly lack elements

of truth and frankness. Anyone can make up his or her profile about the looks, personality,

occupation, education, financial status, or even name. These disadvantages of online

relationships can occur in face-to-face relationships as well. However, honesty is not

impossible to find in cyberspace, due to the fact that there still be lots of genuine people using

internet as a tool to find the right person for them to have relationships with. Furthermore,

sincerity can also be found in other forms, several kind of support groups, such as groups for

anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. As some of the members of each group share their

own experiences, their...