Long Distance Online Internet Relationship Pros and Cons

Finding the man or the woman of your dreams is quite a difficult task, there are book store sections devoted to meeting a mate or even getting a date, but the internet has changed the ground rules. Now we don’t have to wander around town, join a club, practice pick-up lines to use in the produce section of the grocery store, we can simply go online and suddenly we are conversing with a person that seems just right for us.

Many people today are finding themselves involved in online relationships. These relationships may begin innocently with a conversation on facebook or through a work connection but regardless of how they begin; these online relationships can become quite intense, sometimes even leading to marriage.

Online relationships are a recent phenomenon that spawned out of the explosion of internet communication possibilities. Some of these methods include online messaging, video calling via websites like Skype along with texting on mobile phones, the options seem limitless and the opportunities are wide to meet and develop a relationship online.

As amazing as the possibilities of online relationships are there are definite downsides, each member will become frustrated at times due to the limitations of this type of communication. These relationships represent uncharted territory for many where the rules of dating and communicating from days past start to become irrelevant. These relationships can be life changing since going online broadens the base of people that we can meet. People that may have otherwise never met before can now develop a strong bond with a person that has a lot more in common than anyone they have ever meet in person.

The possibility of meeting a compatible person online is simply far greater than that of meeting someone in person because we only interact with a small amount of people each day, but the numbers increase exponentially online. This means that the internet improves your chances of meeting Mr. or Ms. Right.

If after getting to know each other online the couple manages to meet up in person then the online aspect of the relationship will be replaced, in large part, by the real life interactions, but what if the couple never meets and continues to relate primarily online? These relationships can continue indefinitely if each partner is a willing participant.

• Not having to worry about how you look
• The ability to share a side of yourself that you never have before
• The thrill of getting to know someone in possibly the most profound way possible since people are more likely to share their deepest feelings in writing
• The thrill of receiving any kind of message from your partner
• Having complete control over when you communicate
• Finding a connection with another human being the likes of which you never would in day to day life
• The gift of a platonic relationship, which is believed to be one of the deepest experiences in friendship
• Sexting (sex through descriptive writing) can become a world unto its own and provide a thrill and pleasure that each partner may have never considered before

• Never being able to have sex, touch or just be together
• The frustration that you feel when your partner doesn't communicate
• Misinterpreted communication – words that were misunderstood
• Wishing that you could meet this person
• Contemplating and worrying about meeting this person and how it could ruin your online connection
• Ruining a marriage due to the growing intensity of feelings towards an online “friend”
• Feeling frustrated with the limitations of the online relationship
• Wondering if the online relationship is a figment of your imagination
• Online arguments that might be better resolved in person

Many online relationships begin unexpectedly; people don’t initially plan to end up in this type of relationship. These relationships seem to develop in a natural way and then grow and become more and more intense. While traditional relationships carry their own challenges, strengths and beauty so does an online relationship, these relationships can even change your life.