What are cyber-relationships? They are not only romantic relationships, but normal relationships between friends and family as well. Cyber-relationship addiction occurs when an individual focuses more on their virtual life in social networking sites, texting and chat rooms to the extent that their real-life relationships with family and friends are compromised for online ones.
The main reason is that all of us use mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and etc, to cultivate our friendships and relationships with others (Bargh and Mckenna, 575). We must ask ourselves, “Have we been too caught up with relationships online that we fail to nurture our real-life, face-to-face relationships?” In our world today, it is not uncommon to find a couple or family sitting in a restaurant, focused on their own mobile devices rather than the person in front of them. Although it is true that multifunctional devices such as mobile phones have proven to be indispensable to a certain degree, they may have impacted its users negatively. What is the extent of cyber-relationship addiction today? What are the demographics that are usually affected by this addiction? What factors influence why people are more focused on cyber relationships than real life ones? With the help of relevant academic sources, these questions will be answered in this literature review.
Cyber relationship addiction has firstly gone to such an extent that people have become less empathetic towards others because of their bizarre usage of their mobile devices for hundreds of hours. In Cross’ book, he shares that In May 2010, a study reported from the Institute for Social Research of the University of Michigan showed the feelings of empathy have remarkably declined among college stude...
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...some cyber-relationships formed online, were actually transported and inducted into their real lives, into traditional face-to-face social interaction (580). Other research has shown that there are a few factors that influence cyber-relationship addiction, mainly a person’s e-personality, the occurrence of cyber bullying caused by the anonymity of the Internet, as well as the enhanced power of communication. Caution must be advised that Aboujaoude and Lambert lack more detailed findings that would otherwise make their sources more reliable. Chatfield and Cross’ reports are backed up by their surveys, but may be subjected to instrument decay because they did not state the methods they used to get the results. Furthermore, some of their research were done in specific settings, and should instead be done in a natural one in order to obtain a wider variety of results.
Meghan Daum, born in1970 in California, is an American author, essayist, and journalist. Her article “Virtual Love” published in the August 25-September 1, 1997 issue of The New Yorker follows the author’s personal encounter with cyberspace relationships. Through this article the author presents to us the progress of an online relationship that after seeming entertaining and life changing at the beginning becomes nothing more than a faded memory. In fact she even ends the text stating that “reality is seldom able to match the expectations raised by intoxication of an idealized cyber romance.”(Daum, 1997, P.10) Daum concludes that online-dating or virtual love rarely survives the physical world when confronted by its obstacles such as its pace, idealization, and mainly expectations. However, although the message of the author is true, yet the way by which it was conveyed is found faulty.
Since the rise of the technological era, society has faced many different opinions on the topic of cell phones. On one end, mobile devices help us connect to the world in a lot of beneficial ways, and on the other hand, it damages our real-life relationships. Two authors, who were featured on The Wall Street Journals’ piece called “Is Technology Making People Less Sociable?” argued their points of view. The first argument was given by Dr. Larry Rosen, who spoke about the pitfalls of today’s communicative relationships over a cellular device. The counterargument was given by Dr. Keith N. Hampton who believed that virtual relationships helped strengthen real-life ones. Based on both of these authors, the stronger argument was given by Dr. Hampton
In the essay, “Relationships and Technology,” by Joseph A. DeVito, he wrote about the advantages and disadvantages of online dating and its effects. Technology has made an enormous effect on our relationships, both physically and mentally. Some argue, our mental obsession with technology has become so dire in order to interact with others. While on the other hand people argue these improvements have only physically enlarged our communication with others and improved our lives. There is no denying the growth of technology has gotten extremely big, and it now plays an important role in our daily lives.
Hertlein, director of the university’s Marriage and Family Therapy program, and assistant professor Markie L.C. Blumer, a faculty adviser in the program wrote, “The Couple and Family Technology Framework: Intimate Relationships in a Digital Age". In their article, Hertlein and Blumer explore how the revolution of technology plays a significant role in promoting relationship. They state,” This revolution poses significant implications in the promotion of relationships at a distance between couple and family practitioners and their clients” (2). They convey that technology position itself in promoting good connections with those are in relationships. Hertlein and Bulmer advocate,” It is much easier to date from one’s own computer than to dress up and go out to seek a possible or potential partner” (3). They defining technology as “convenience” because it can cause miracles in relationships. They social experimented on offline and online conversation, how they converse to each other with technology and face-to face (F2F). The result was F2F was more secured and accounted but, on the other side online conversing was about his or her: perverted inclinations. In some cases, the subjects use technology to inquire for possible and potential
This type of infidelity encompasses a romantic or sexual relationship that is done with another individual other than one’s spouse. Not only it starts there, but is also maintained online through the use of various communication and interaction platforms. Online infidelity takes place when an individual who is already engaged in a serious relationship, undertakes an involvement in computer based interactive relationship. There has been a raging debate as to whether the interactions that occur in the chat rooms amount as infidelity. Online infidelity has been categorized as infidelity since it encompasses exclusivity, which is a privilege accorded to the spouse and which is broken through the chat room conversations. The level of secrecy involved in the conversations in these chat rooms never gets to the spouse. Similarly, the authors of our textbook claim “even if the couple does not meet, men and women still tend to think of online relationships as a form of betrayal that is associated with relationship problems.” (Lamanna, Riedmann, & Stewart, 2018, p.
The face-to-face communication mechanism is the only method to overcome the adverse effects associated with the virtual connection. This is because online communication quality cannot match that of the real-world physical get-together. Online communications also lack the traditional use of body signals. As illustrated in the Relationship Australia survey, most of the people spend most of their time in computers and other internet connected gadgets while communicating with other people at the expense of creating social networks which in turn harms relationships and leads to loneliness (Relationships Australia 2015). It is, therefore, important to monitor how a person uses the technological platforms and how much time they spend on them since the individual may develop addictive behaviors by spending more time online and not having the time to build real
Advances in technology have complicated the way in which people are connecting with others around them and how it separates people from reality. In “Virtual Love” by Meghan Daum, she illustrates through the narrator 's point of view how a virtual relationship of communicating through emails and text messages can mislead a person into thinking that they actually have a bond with a person whom they have stuck their ideals onto and how the physical worlds stands as an obstacle in front of their relationship when the couple finally meets. In comparison, the article … While Daum and X discuss that technology pushes us apart and disconnects us from the physical world, they evoke a new light into explaining how technology creates the illusion of making
In today’s society people have been adapting to a new way of communicating with one another. Whether it is on the phone, on the computer, or even in person, many people seem to like the comfort of having one another. Some prefer to talk face to face and there are others who prefer talking online especially with someone whom they might not know as well as their friends. In the article, “Hiding Behind the Screen” by Roger Scruton, he argues that relationships in person should not be replaced with relations thru the web. A reader can say that his argument is valid because he provides support on the idea that online relationships are not helpful at all.
Over the last century, information technology, such as the Internet, has brought our society forward and helps us get through life more efficiently and conveniently. In addition, it helps making global communication easier and faster as compared to hand-written mails that may take days if not weeks to reach its intended recipient. However, with such luxury and convenience, there is a debate whether the way we currently interact with fellow human beings with the help of technology is good or bad to our personal relationships. The Internet has increased the amount of communication globally, yet ironically the very technology that helps us increase our communication hinders our ability to socialize effectively in real life and create a healthy interpersonal relationship.
From a report of Dating Safety and Victimization in Traditional and Online Relationship, Koeppel, Smith and Bouffard concluded that with the use of Internet helps increasing online dating and they use it to broaden their social circles and find their partner. People are more willing to accept online dating but their attitude towards online dating is still negative because of the negative impacts (6).
Walther et al.’s (2001) ‘Hyper personal’ theory for example, explains that the problems associated with an absence of social cues and social presence online can be easily overcome. The Hyperpersonal theory suggests that the message sender has a greater ability to strategically develop and edit self-presentation. The ability for people to present themselves appropriately can thereby lead to more intimate and close relationships. However, in turn, it can also lead to idealisation which is unhealthy because if people stray too far into the fantasy side of the online world then it could lead to relationships that do not live up to expectations in the offline world. Whitty (2003) argues however that online spaces allow people to feel freer than in face to face communication thereafter in relation to forming romantic relationships, people are more willing to flirt, to express themselves and to engage in sexual activities. Thereafter online spaces can feel like a more creative and therapeutic space compared to the offline world. Similarly, Suler (2004) discusses the concept of ‘disinhibition effect’ by which is the nature for people to say and do things in cyberspace that they would otherwise not do in person. This allows people to loosen up, feel less restrained and to express themselves more openly and freely. Suler (2004) notes in addition that the disinhibition effect works in two opposing ways however in that the on the negative side, the anonymity of cyberspace allows people to say rude, harsh, hateful things that they may not say in face to face
Whitty. M. T (2005), The Realness of Cybercheating: Men’s and Women’s Representations of Unfaithful Internet Relationships. Social Science Computer Review [Online] 23 (1) p. 57-67.
In a world run by technology, it is a constant battle to maintain face to face relationships. While some studies do show that certain things such as a couple’s relationship status and interaction online correlate with their satisfaction within the relationship, the majority of online interactions actually lead to distrust and lack of real, vulnerable relationships. It is no surprise that as our fascination with technology grows, our fascination with other people dims. We are becoming increasingly individualistic and closing our once open hearts because of the lack of human interaction so many people are facing. Through examination of multiple studies and peer reviewed journal articles the remainder of this essay will investigate this issue.
which people communicate. How people form and maintain relationships are evolving in light of Internet-based technologies, most recently with the rise of social networking websites. Furthermore, these sites alter previously held beliefs related to identity formation and maintenance, as users may choose to share as much or as little personal information – whether true or fabricated – as they like with other users. These changes impact relationships in the offline world both positively and negatively. Although today people carry out their day-to-day relationships online, social media have weakened the meaning of friendship and emotional connections. In discussion of whether or not social media affects relationships positively or negatively, a differing viewpoint has been offered by William Deresiewicz in his essay “Faux Friendship” and Clive Thompson in his essay “I’m so digitally close to you”. On one hand Deresiewicz ridicules the use of online social networking in today’s society. On the other hand, Thompson contends and talks about how Facebook has positively changed the world.
The extent of Cyber Relationship Addiction in Singapore today is considerably high. With a higher usage in Social Media platforms among not only the youth, but adults as well, we can conclude that Cyber Relationship Addiction is affecting a relatively larger group of people. Cyber Relationship Addiction is serious to the extent where they are affecting our primary relationships and discouraging us from non-virtual interactions with our partners. This may lead to little face-to-face interaction and socializing in the future.