E-love

August 14th, 2007 • Related • Filed Under

DragonHeart123: I was wondering if you wanna be my gf?

BlossomGirl: Errr..maybe? Yeah why not. x)

DragonHeart123: Wanna meet up?

BlossomGirl: Sure. Where and when?

Some of us may relate to the conversation above while some of us may scoff at the mere idea of agreeing to an online relationship. While it was unconventional before, online relationships are very much part of reality today. If you type the words ?°internet love?± on Google search just like I did, you would be pretty overwhelmed by the amount of internet dating services and chatrooms that boast many successful internet love stories all around the world.

Is this a facade made up to be more than it actually is or is this internet love business for real? From the looks of it, E-Love will be here to stay, what with more and more people discovering the wonders of the World Wide Web each day, research has shown that the fraction of heavy internet users are steadily growing.* This means that more people are losing contact with their social environment as most of their time are spent clocked in on the internet.

With people spending more time in the virtual world, it is no wonder that the E-Love bug is spreading. Jane* is a 27 year old workaholic who spends most of her time on the internet. Ever since she started working for her current company, A, she realized that her social circle had shrunk tremendously due to the fact that she was clocking more hours at work and would be too tired to socialize after.

?°The only thing I look forward to after work is sleep. I?ˉm so tired I wouldn?ˉt even mind being celibate as long I get that extra hour of sleep. By the way, I haven?ˉt had sex since forever and I don?ˉt even have time to miss it!?±

But of course like all other human beings, she does sometimes feel the pinch of loneliness and this led to her seeking the comfort of chatrooms where there were millions just like her. It was fun chatting with so many people from all over the world, but there was this particular person whom Jane felt really connected with ¨C John*.

?°Sometimes all that gets me through the day is knowing that I get to talk to him online when I get back home.?± Cupid struck his bow and the rest as they say is history. Jane and John are now happily married with 1 kid and they claimed that they never would imagine meeting their soulmate online. ?°I guess miracles do happen, love is afterall a magical thing that catches you unaware,?± quips John.

However, not everyone is as lucky as Jane and John. While there are the good love stories, there are always the bad and the ugly ones. Kelly*, 18, is a ?°net junkie?± and spends most of her leisure time chatting on MSN, a popular online instant messaging service. One day she accidentally logged in using her brother?ˉs account and started chatting with Josh*, her brother?ˉs best friend.

Conversations flowed in abundance and soon Kelly found herself thinking about Josh constantly. Kelly then introduced her best friend Amanda* to Josh in hopes of using Amanda to find out if Josh is interested in her. Things however took a bad turn when Kelly found out that Josh was flirting with Amanda and that Amanda had fallen for him. The best friends fought constantly over this matter only to find out in the end that Josh already had a steady girlfriend. ?°I can?ˉt believe he lied to us and made us think he was into us. I?ˉll never fall for a guy over the internet ever again!?± said a tearful Kelly.

But not all bad online relationships end with a bucket full of tears. Some people actually found true friendship online. ?°I feel that it?ˉs easier to be honest when I?ˉm chatting online. Maybe it?ˉs because I can?ˉt see who?ˉs judging me,?± says Brian*. Brian met Jenna through an American chatroom service, PalTalk, and has since found a true friend.

?°We like each other but living so far apart makes having a romantic relationship tough so we agreed on a virtual relationship instead with no strings attached. It?ˉs nice to have someone to be your emotional support, someone you know who cares and to tell you nice sweet things when you?ˉre feeling blue. It?ˉs sort of like having a girlfriend, just that we?ˉre not committed to each other that way.?±

Brian and Jenna have been online friends for 4 years and claims that they have yet found anyone who?ˉs good enough to fill each others?ˉ shoes. ?°He?ˉs going be one tough act to follow, that?ˉs for sure.?± lauds Jenna.

If you think about it, there is actually no such thing as E-Love. It is just plain ol?ˉ love. It doesn?ˉt matter if we fall for someone over the internet or during a bus ride, that warm and fuzzy feeling is what it is ¨C love. The process of falling of love is the same - the introduction, the mild flirting, and the spark. We?ˉre just evolving, that?ˉs all. We?ˉre more ?°internet-centric?± now and the World Wide Web is now our new playground. Like all relationships, online relationships go through the same recurring fates ¨C the success, the failure, the best/just friend status. Just remember to stay clear of the dodgy characters and always be smart because there are a lot of scams out there. Remember that love know no boundaries. Yes, not even the World Wide Web.

Ready to get your love byte?

*All names have been changed to protect the privacy and anonymity of the persons involved.

*Source

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