Editing Internet relationship (section)

== Types of relationships ==
Many types of internet relationships are possible in today's world of technology.

=== Internet dating ===
Internet dating is very relevant in the lives of many individuals worldwide.<ref name="E-Dating2">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yENNc7Fp3vQC&q=online+dating+sites+in+the+90s|title=Social networking communities and e-dating services: concepts and implications|last=Romm- Livermore|first=Celia|publisher=Idea Group Inc. (IGI)|year=2009|isbn=978-1-60566-104-9|page=398}}</ref> A major benefit in the rise of Internet dating is the decrease in prostitution. People no longer need to search on the streets to find casual relationships. They can find them online if that is what they desire.<ref name="E-Dating2" /> Internet dating websites offer matchmaking services for people to find love or whatever else they may be looking for. The creation of the internet and its progressive innovations have opened up doors for people to meet other people who they may very well have never met otherwise.<ref name="E-Dating2" />

==== Dating website innovations ====
Although the availability of uploading videos to the internet is not a new innovation, it has been made easier since 2008 thanks to [[YouTube]]. YouTube began the surge of video streaming sites in 2005 and within three years, smaller web developers started implementing video sharing on their sites. Internet dating sites have benefitted greatly since the surge in easiness and accessibility of picture and video uploading.<ref name="online videos2">{{cite journal|url=http://usir.salford.ac.uk/2279/1/Proceedings_amcis-0635-2009-File001.pdf|title=Performing the Discourse of Sexuality Online Foucault, Butler, and Video-sharing on Sexual Social Networking Sites|last=Kreps|first=David G.|journal=International Journal of Computational Fluid Dynamics |date=2023 |volume=35 |issue=7 |publisher=Proceedings of the Fifteenth Americas Conference on Information Systems|doi=10.13140/RG.2.2.13078.32327 }}</ref> Videos and pictures are equally important for most personal profiles. These profiles can be found on sites used for [[interpersonal relationships]] other than dating as well. "The body, although graphically absent, does not have to be any less present."<ref name="online videos2" /> Older and less advanced sites usually still allow, and often require, each user to upload a picture. Newer and more advanced sites offer the possibility of [[streaming media]] live via the user's profile for the site. The inclusion of videos and pictures has become almost a necessity for sexual social networking sites to maintain the loyalty of their members.<ref name="online videos2" /> It is appealing to internet users to be able to view and share videos, especially when forming relationships or friendships.<ref>{{cite news |last=Jayson |first=Sharon |date=January 23, 2013 |title=Online dating has changed everything, author says |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/23/love-algorithms-online-dating/1856853/ |work=[[USA Today]] |access-date=2021-03-30}}</ref>

==== Users ====
According to an article in the ''New York Times'', mediated matchmaking has been around since the mid-1800s.<ref name="Start of online dating2">{{cite journal|last=Shaefer|first=Laura J.|date=14 February 2003|title=Looking for Love, Online or On Paer|url=https://www.google.com/#hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=Looking+for+love%2C+online+or+on+paper.+The+New+York+Times+Shaefer&oq=Looking+for+love%2C+online+or+on+paper.+The+New+York+Times+Shaefer&aq=f&aqi=&aql=1&gs_nf=1&gs_l=hp.3...8030.10040.1.10149.9.9.0.0.0.0.92.585.8.8.0.crf.1.3Rk45Pdpew4&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=fb8265af22147407&biw=1146&bih=598|journal=The New York Times|access-date=26 April 2012}}</ref> Online dating was made available in the mid-1990s, with the creation of the first dating sites.<ref name="Brooks2">{{cite web|url=http://www.onlinepersonalswatch.com/files/idea-white-paper-final-review-copy-only-updated-1-19.pdf|title=How has Internet dating changed society? An Insider's Look|last=Brooks|first=Mark|publisher=Courtland Brooks|work=Scholarly Article|access-date=26 March 2012}}</ref> These dating sites create a space for liberation of sexuality. According to Sam Yagan of [[OkCupid]], "the period between New Year's Day and Valentine's Day is [our] busiest six weeks of the year".<ref name="Start of online dating2" /> Changes that online dating companies have created include not only the increase of pickiness in singles, but the rise in interracial marriages and spread the acceptance of homosexual individuals. Dating sites "are a place where sexual minorities, inter-sexed people and gay people are enjoying a newly found freedom".<ref name="Brooks2" /> Several studies have shown the availability of online dating to produce a greater closeness and intimacy between individuals because it circumvents barriers that face-to-face interactions might have. "Participating in personal relationships online allow for almost full freedom from power relations in the offline/real world."<ref name="online videos2" />

A plethora of virtual sexual identities are represented in online profiles. The amount of personal information users are being asked to provide is constantly increasing. More and more online users are starting to explore and experiment with aspects of their sexual identities, whereas before, they may have felt uncomfortable due to social constraints or fear of possible repercussions.<ref name="Electronic Cloak2">{{cite book|url=https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/Abstract.aspx?id=199529|title=Electronic Cloak: Secret Sexual Deviance in Cybersociety|last=DiMarco|first=Heather|publisher=William Publishing|year=2003|location=Oregon}}</ref> Most internet sites containing personal profiles require individuals to fill in "personal information" sections. Often these sections include a series of multiple choice questions. Due to the anonymity of these virtual profiles, individuals are more frequent to 'role'-play at being one of the predefined 'types', although offline, reservations may inhibit the individual from sharing true answers.

There have also been many studies done to observe online daters and their reason for turning to the internet to look for romantic partners. According to Robert J. Brym and Rhonda L. Lenton, users of online games, websites, and other virtual communities are encouraged to conceal their identities and learn things about themselves that they never knew before.<ref name="canada2">{{cite book|url=http://www.bestsoftworks.com/docs/loveonline.pdf|title=Love Online: A Report On Digital Dating in Canada|last=Brym|first=Robert J.|publisher=Msn.ca|year=2001|location=Toronto|access-date=2012-04-30|archive-date=2013-11-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101162157/http://www.bestsoftworks.com/docs/loveonline.pdf}}</ref> With a concealed identity, an online user can be whoever they want to be at that exact moment. They have the ability to venture outside of their comfort zone and act as someone completely different.

The ''Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication'' reports the results of a study conducted by Robert J. Stephure, Susan D. Boon, Stacy L. MacKinnon, and Vicki L. Deveau on types of relationships online participants were seeking. They concluded that "when asked what they were looking for in an online relationship, the considerable majority of participants expressed interest in seeking fun, companionship, and someone to talk to. Most also reported interests in developing casual friendships and dating relationships with online partners. Substantially fewer reported using the Internet for the specific purposes of identifying potential sexual or marital partners."<ref>{{cite journal|last2=Boon|first2=Susan D.|last3=MacKinnon|first3=Stacey L.|last4=Deveau|first4=Vicki L.|year=2009|title=Internet Initiated Relationships: Associations Between Age and Involvement in Online Dating|journal=Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication|volume=14|issue=3|pages=658–681|doi=10.1111/j.1083-6101.2009.01457.x|last1=Stephure|first1=Robert J.|doi-access=free}}</ref>

However, a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2012, looked at about 19,000 married people and those who met their spouse online said their marriage was more satisfying than those who met their spouse offline. Plus, marriages that began online were less likely to end in separation or divorce.<ref>{{cite web|title=Business Insider|website=[[Business Insider]] |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/happy-marriage-online-dating-2017-10|access-date=31 Jul 2018}}</ref>

Faye Mishna, Alan McLuckie, and Michael Saini, co-authors of the ''[[Social Work Research]]'' article ''Real-World Dangers in an Online Reality: A Qualitative Study Examining Online Relationships and Cyber Abuse'', reported the results of their research and observation of over 35,000 individuals between the ages of 6 and 24 who have been or currently are a part of an internet relationship about which they had concerns, and consequently contacted an organization that provided online support. Of the final 346 posts chosen to be included in the study, the average age of online users sharing information about their online relationship(s) was 14 years old.<ref name="Abuse2">{{cite journal|last=Mishna|first=Faye|date=June 2009|title=Real- World Dangers in an Online Reality: A Qualitative Study Examining Online Relationships and Cyber Abuse|journal=Social Work Research|volume=33|issue=2|pages=107–118|author2=Alan McLuckie|author3=Michael Saini|doi=10.1093/swr/33.2.107|citeseerx=10.1.1.688.9332}}</ref> The overwhelming result was that children and youth consider their online relationships to be just as "real" as their offline relationships. The study also showed that the internet plays a crucial role in sexual and romantic experiences of this population of adolescent users.<ref name="Abuse2" />

==== Success of dating websites and social networks ====
[[Canaan Partners]] have reported that the dating industry brings in an estimate of 3-4 billion dollars yearly from membership fees and advertisements.<ref name="Start of online dating2" /> The range of dating sites has expanded vastly over the past two decades. There are dating websites that focus on the [[matchmaking]] of certain groups of people based on religion, sexual preference, race, etc.<ref name="Start of online dating2" />

The average life expectancy has been on a rise, leaving many young singles feeling as if they have plenty of time to find a [[life partner]]. This opens up time to travel and experience things without the burden of a relationship. As of 1996, more than 20% of Canadians "were not living in the same census subdivision as they were five years earlier"<ref name="canada2" /> and as of 1998, more than half of employed Canadians worried "they [did] not have enough time to spend with their family and friends".<ref name="canada2" /> Due to an increase in many businesses requiring their employees to travel, singles, often young professionals, find online dating websites to be the perfect answer to their "problem", states Brym and Lenton.

Erik Shipmon, author of "Why Do People Date Online?", exclaims, "the Internet is the ultimate singles' bar—without the noise, the drunks, and the high cost of all those not-so-happy hours. Nor, thanks to online dating membership sites, do you have to depend on your friends and family to hook you up with people they think would be perfect for you—and who wouldn't be perfect for, well, anyone, which is why they are still unattached".<ref name="internet like singles bar2">{{cite web|url=http://www.cupidnights.com/dating-advice/article-12.html|title=Why do people date online|last=Shipmon|first=Erik|access-date=27 April 2012}}</ref>

==== Cybersex ====
Some people who are in an online relationship also participate in [[cybersex]], which is a virtual sex encounter in which two or more individuals who are connected remotely via computer network send each other sexually explicit messages describing a sexual experience. This can also include individuals communicating sexually via video or audio. Some websites offer a cybersex service, where a patron pays the website owner in exchange for an online sexual experience with another person.

Cybersex sometimes includes real life masturbation. The quality of a cybersex encounter typically depends upon the participants' abilities to evoke a vivid, visceral mental picture in the minds of their partners. Imagination and suspension of disbelief are also critically important. Cybersex can occur either within the context of existing or intimate relationships, e.g. among lovers who are [[Long-distance relationship|geographically separated]], or among individuals who have no prior knowledge of one another and meet in virtual spaces or cyberspaces and may even remain anonymous to one another. In some contexts cybersex is enhanced by the use of a webcam to transmit real-time video of the partners.

=== Social networking relationships ===
Social networking has enabled people to connect with each other via the internet. Sometimes, members of a [[social networking service]] do know all, or many of their "friends" (Facebook) or "connections" (LinkedIn) etc. in person. However, sometimes internet relationships are formed through these services, including but not limited to: [[Facebook]], [[Myspace]], [[Google Plus]], [[LinkedIn]], [[Twitter]], [[Instagram]], [[DeviantArt]], [[Xanga]] and [[Discord (software)|Discord]].

"Social networking service" is a very broad term, branching out to websites based on many different aspects. One aspect that is possible on all social networking sites is the possibility of an internet relationship. These sites enable users to search for new connections based on location, education, experiences, hobbies, age, gender, and more. This allows individuals meeting each other to already have some characteristic in common. These sites usually allow for people who do not know each other to "add" each other as a connection or friend and to send each other messages. This connection can lead to more communication between two individuals. An immense amount of information about the individuals can be found directly on their social network profile. Proving those individuals include plentiful and accurate information about themselves, people in online relationships can find out much about each other by viewing profiles and "about me's". Communication between individuals can become more frequent, thus forming some type of relationship via the internet. This relationship can turn into an acquaintance, a friendship, a romantic relationship, or even a business partnership.

=== Online gaming ===
Online gaming elicits the introduction of many different types of people in one interface. A common type of online game where individuals form relationships is the MMORPG, or a [[massively multiplayer online role-playing game]]. Some examples of MMORPGs are [[World of Warcraft]], [[EverQuest]], [[SecondLife]], [[Final Fantasy XI|Final Fantasy Online]], and [[Minecraft]] (see [[List of massively multiplayer online role-playing games]].) These games enable individuals to create a character that represents them and interact with other characters played by real individuals, while at the same time carrying out the tasks and goals of the actual game.

Online games other than MMORPGs can elicit internet relationships as well. Card games such as [[Online poker|poker]] and board games like [[Pictionary]] have been transformed into virtual interfaces that allow an individual to play against people across the internet, as well as chatting with them. [[Virtual pet site]]s such as [[Webkinz]] and [[Neopets]] are another type of popular online game that allow individuals to socialize with other players.

Games create social spaces for people of various ages, with userbases often crossing age brackets. Most of these games enable individuals to chat with each other, as well as form groups and [[Gaming clan|clans]]. This interaction can lead to further communication, turning into a friendship or romantic relationship.

Digital [[anthropologist]] Bonnie Nardi emphasizes the significance of online relationships in the video game "[[World of Warcraft]]". Based on [[participant observation]], she observes players that meets on the internet and ended up developing a relationship throughout the process of playing the video game. People from all across the world can meet up in a virtual platform, and even starting a relationship. Technologies has really brought people closer with one another, and creating a great environment. Nardi talks about one of her guild members named Zeke who was engaged to Malore that they met in a dungeon run. "I had not seen that there might be anything other than emoting going on, and told him I was married. Zeke then revealed that he was engaged to Malore (whom he had met in [[World of Warcraft]]) but that the relationship was not going well." (Nardi, Page 165) Zeke's relationship Malore happened due to the fact that Zeke had several accounts in the game and apparently he was able to flirt with Malore while using different characters to run down the dungeon with her.

=== Online forums and chatrooms ===
An [[Internet forum]] is a website that includes conversations in the form of posted messages. Forums can be for general chatting or can be broken down into categories and topics. They can be used to ask questions, post opinions, or debate topics. Forums include their own jargon, for example a conversation is a "thread". Different forums also have different lingo and styles of communicating.

There are religion forums, music forums, car forums, and countless other topics. These forums elicit communication between individuals no matter the location, gender, ethnicity, etc. although some do include age restrictions. Through these forums people may comment on each other's topics or threads, and with further communication form a friendship, partnership, or romantic relationship.

=== Professional relationships ===
Even in work settings, the introduction of the internet has established easier and sometimes more practical forms of communicating.  The internet is often referred to as a vehicle for [[investor relations]]<ref>{{cite journal|last=Hedlin|first=Pontus|date=1 July 1999|title=The Internet as a vehicle for investor relations: the Swedish case|journal=European Accounting Review|volume=8|issue=2|pages=373–381|doi=10.1080/096381899336104}}</ref> or the "electronic highway" for business transactions in the United States.<ref name="Business2">{{cite book|title=Doing More Business on the Internet: How the Electronic Highway Is Transforming American Companies|last=Cronin|first=Mary|publisher=John Wiley and Sons|year=1995|page=368}}</ref> The Internet has increased organizational involvement by facilitating the flow of information between face-to-face meetings and allowing for people to arrange meetings at virtually any given time. Socially, it has stimulated positive change in people's lives by creating new forms of online interaction and enhancing offline relationships worldwide, allowing for better and more efficient [[business communication]].<ref name="Brooks2" />