Can American People Develop Intimate Relationships Online

Can American People Develop an Intimate and Romantic Relationship Online? Amariche Hawkins University of Southern California Introduction Imagine a scenario where a man has created a Facebook profile and structured his online persona in a way that showcases what he believes to be his best attributes. He shares posts about his love for sports, cooking and literature. Over a short period of time, a young lady sees his profile and is intrigued by all the things that he has shared about himself publicly. She reaches out to him via a private message and over a period of time, of texting and sharing pictures, the two begin to build a relationship. This scenario is not uncommon. In fact 41% of American people said they knew of someone who†¦show more content†¦Americans can log in to their favorite social media platform or dating app and begin to immediately dialogue with anyone that is a reflection of one’s personal ideals and culture. The argument that community has increased still does not answer the question whether or not a true intimate relationship can take place with someone, who is not there physically. It was once thought that people who develop intimate relationships have to be from the same social class. However, when one presents their online identity, impression management allows everyone to dictate what they choose to share. It is believed by some researchers that the introducing of a new relationship starts out as being impersonal and the more one shares, the further the relationship develops thereby becoming hyper personal. Does that mean quantity of information that is passed back and forth between two parties have more significance than quality time or physical time spent in front of each other? One theorist has developed a theory based on this assumption. 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