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Sarah met James online and it was love at first cyber-sight. The two made plans to chat every night, eventually leading to phone calls and even video chats. She ignored all her friends, spent most of her time talking to him and ignored everyone who tried to fix her up with other men. The thought of dating never even crossed her mind because she had a boyfriend, albeit one she only knew from the computer. Then one day she discovers that James is already married, a little fact her kept hidden from her and suddenly her entire world is turned upside down.

There are many people who use the internet to find dates and there are millions of happy couples who met online. Those couples aren't what we're talking about here. Here we're talking about the people who meet online and keep their relationship online, without taking it out into the real world. These people aren't couples as the word is defined, they're internet chat buddies.

Being in a couple and being part of a relationship entails a certain level of intimacy. It gives you someone to curl up in bed with and flip through the paper on a Sunday morning, someone to cook dinner with at night and someone to touch and feel. Being in an online relationship entails none of that. What you basically have is someone to chat with and little else. This isn't someone who will hold your hand when your dog dies, brush your hair out of your face when you're reading the paper and give you a hug when you've had a bad day.

When you're in an internet relationship, the only thing you have is a computer screen. Sure you might get the same tingling feeling in the pit of your stomach when you get an email as when your partner calls. You might even have someone to talk to after a bad day. The thing you don't get is the intimacy and closeness of being in a real relationship.

The other thing you have to consider about an online relationship is that you just don't know the person you're talking to, not the real person. They can tell you anything they want and be anyone they want because they know that you'll never see who they really are. You never know what this person is truly like and you'll never see all the little flaws that make us human. You can't love someone online, you can only be infatuated with what they want you to believe.

Learn more about this author, Jennifer Eblin.
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