Cyber-Relationships: Changing Moral Positions

With the advent of virtual worlds and cyber communities for individuals to have a meeting of the minds, it is no wonder our relationships today are becoming so much more complicated. As if working out the intricacies of relationships (platonic and romantic) wasn't challenging enough, the internet has added a whole new dimension to cultivate. This is particular harrowing for romantic relationships. In class we had the example of a woman divorcing her husband because he was married to another woman in Second Life, while The Sunday Times columnist commented that she’d just lure her husband off the computer and back into reality. These two views show the schism developing in the new relationship “rules” of a digital age.

There’s always a lot of debate surrounding big topics in new media, like privacy, ethics and dependency, since these have potential policy connections. There is minor coverage of shifting relationship norms, but these are often handled with humor and disbelief. Just like people resisting the new technology at first, people are resisting the need to assess their stance on relationship boundaries within their technologically saturated lives.

To continue with the example above, what exactly constitutes cheating in a relationship now? The idea of the “emotional affair” is not new, but it used to be manifested in a seemingly harmless friendship, which then began to damage the emotional connection to their respective partners. With the internet now, and the constant connectivity, it is much easier to develop these affairs, especially in forums like Second Life. After our talk about cyborgs it would stand to reason that since technology is becoming a part of our identities, that affairs online are a form of cheating. There is a real person on the other side who is communicating and investing time in a “relationship.” It’s easy to discredit these relationships because of their video game like qualities, however they should be held to higher standards. It is yet another part of society in transition due to the integration of new media into our lives. It will be interesting to see how the morals sort themselves out over time.