by Can Tran

Created on: November 22, 2008

Is chatting online considered to be cheating? Who really knows? This seems to be a simple question. However, this question can be interpreted in any shape, way, or form. When interpreted differently, it is not really a simple question. The answer is not a simple one at all. Plus, the answer is not really a one-size fits all answer.

Would it be considered cheating? The answer would be "Yes" and "No."

The one thing would be asked is: What would you be chatting about with the other person? You two could chat about a whole wide range of topics and subjects. How long are you chatting with the person for? Is there some sort of "romantic" and/or "sexual" connection being made while chatting to the person online?

It could bring up several instances, in which chatting online was considered to be cheating or not.
Back in 2001, I had gone up to see relatives in Maryland for Christmas Break. My Aunt Monique would spend most hours at night on the chat rooms. However, it was just nonstop online chatter.

It did get on her husband's nerves. He was curious to see what my aunt was chatting about. I could say that it is safe to assume that my aunt is very addicted to online chatting. In my aunt's case, it is not considered to be cheating at all. I would have to say that this was a case in which it was beneficial for my aunt. My aunt can be very crazy and overbearing. My mom and my uncles do get headaches in dealing with my aunt. So, an online chat room would be the ideal outlet for my aunt.

But, there are instances in which it could be considered cheating.

If the online chats between you and the other part get romantic and/or sexual, then yes, it could be considered to be cheating. It can strongly be considered cheating if you are talking to this person more than you are with your own spouse. One sign is that you could be ignoring and neglecting your spouse over this person that you are talking to online.

If it involves a lot of flirting, then yes, it is considered to be cheating. It becomes worse if it gets to the point of phone conversations.
While it is not really cheating, your spouse may think otherwise.

Technically, it is not really cheating. This can be applied to online relationships. You really cannot treat them as real relationships unless they actually meet. If they do meet and something happens, then it is definitely cheating.

While chatting online is not really cheating, it does give the possibility that you or your spouse is capable of cheating. Chatting online should not be considered cheating. It should be considered as a tool to show who is capable of cheating.
If your spouse is constantly chatting online and so forth, chances are that s/he is capable of infidelity or has thoughts about infidelity.

Overall, it depends on what you or your spouse is chatting about online. Are these chats emotional? Are these chats going somewhere that they shouldn't be? If so, then you or your spouse is on the road towards infidelity.

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