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But how does a relationship that is started or conducted entirely online compare to a relationship that is started with a traditional meeting in a place such as a bar or a coffee shop? And does one's view on online relationships differ dependent upon whether or not one has attempted a relationship in a virtual environment.
Through our research we expect to encounter a strong correlation between the occurrence of a virtual relationship and the regular use of an instant messaging service. As this paper discusses, our initial hypnosis's is proven to be true.
Discussion.
Disinhibition, as mentioned before, is a common affect of people communicating on the internet. This is shown by individuals performing activities that they would usually avoid outside of the virtual medium. Disinhibition plays a major role in online relationships mainly due to the anonymity found in most forms of online communication. Therefore it can involve a variety of deception.
Online relationships can develop in various ways. People often meet in chat rooms or forums that pertain to some shared interest, such as movies, sports teams, or hobbies. Apart from these venues people also meet up at online gaming arenas and message boards such as those provided by Yahoo!. People also make use of instant messaging software in order to interact with people who they may come across when they are online. These are but a few of the wide variety of manners in which one can communicate using the internet. There also exists numerous websites related to dating and relationships whose purpose is to provide dating services to internet users. The internet offers various means for people to form and maintain a relationship and therefore it has become increasingly popular amongst people. But whatever the environment may be, the means of communication remains primarily textual. Despite the widespread use of emoticons, the medium does not provide an emotionally rich environment.