Infidelity and the World Wide Web PART 1

During my last post (on infidelity) i came across a site listing statistics regarding cheating and couldn't help but notice the number that revolved around the Internet.
The entire list can be found here...http://www.menstuff.org/issues/byissue/infidelitystats.html, but i have selected those relevant to the post...

Up to 37% of men and 22% of women admit to having affairs. Researchers think the vast majority of the millions of people who visit chat rooms, have multiple "special friends”.

Only 46% of men believe that online affairs are adultery. DivorceMag

80% think it's OK to talk with a stranger identified as the opposite sex. 75% thinks it's OK to visit an adult site.

One-third of divorce litigation is caused by online affairs.

Approximately 70% of time on-line is spent in chat rooms or sending e-mail; of these interactions, the vast majority are romantic in nature.Because of the anonymity, affordability, and accessibility of Internet sexual resources, the computer can accelerate the transition from "at risk" to "addicted," as well as the progression of sex addiction in those with a history of prior sexual compulsivity.

8-10 percent of Internet users become hooked on cybersex.

Spouses who get hooked on Internet porn are a growing complaint among spouses filing for divorce, according to a survey of 350 divorce attorneys. "If there's dissatisfaction in the existing relationship, the Internet is an easy way for people to scratch the itch,".

57% of people have used the Internet to flirt.

38% of people have engaged in explicit online sexual conversation and 50% of people have made phone contact with someone they chatted with online.

Evidence proves there is a high correlation between on-line infidelity and subsequent real-time sexual affairs.

31% of people have had an online conversation that has led to real-time sex.

Even more shocking is that these statistics are from some years ago and due to the increase of people with access to the Internet over the last ten years, these figures surely will have shot up too.

The introduction of numerous social networking sites, for example MySpace founded in August 2003, have made communicating online more accessible and mainstream.
MySpace is now the fifth most popular website in the world, and the third most popular in the United States.

Tila Tequila - Most popular friend on MySpace

Even more worryingly, (for us in the U.K.) according to this article http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1801 U.K. social networking site usage is the highest in Europe.

The following suggests explanations for the rise in ''online infidelity''...http://www.netaddiction.com/articles/cyberaffairs.htm but these are my own thoughts...
The Internet provides anonymity and so takes away much of the risk of infidelity being exposed. In the case of cybersex, two people can communicate, use each other to reach sexual gratification, and then never communicate again. The statistics show that cybersex often leads to a physical affair, either with somebody first 'met' online, or somebody else. This may be down to the fact that if they can get away with it online, the possibility of getting away with it in person because more realistic. Cybersex is often a stepping stone to further infidelity, maybe because the person gets a buzz from the online infidelity and believes it will be stronger during a physical affair. Of course the possibility of the person developing romantic feelings for the person online who they initially viewed as only for sexual purposes, could account for part of the percentage.

The greater number of people online, the popularity of social networking, and the dominance of technology in our society (many of us use computers at work, at school, at university) mean online sexual encounters are more likely to occur.

I also think that the accessibility of pornography and sexually stimulating material online is a factor. Those viewing such material are likely to become aroused, and cybersex is then more likely to follow.

During the course we are asked to explore the reasons behind 'being bad', in terms of 'cybersex' I think the most likely reasons are that it is easy, readily accessible, and allows the person to express desires/ fantasies that maybe they don't feel comfortable doing so with their/a real life partner. Perhaps even some desires that are not socially acceptable and so wouldn't want to be identified as having.