My significant other and I met in a traditional manner, at a nightclub.
Furthermore, most of our early relationship was spent in a conventional manner; we dated and spent time with each other, using CMC, such as texts and IMs as a way of relaying information about how we would spend our face time, rather than using it as a way to replace face-time. Then, life intervened, as it so often does, and an internship opportunity across the country separated us. Both of us being relatively poor students, we are unable to fly to visit each other frequently. Furthermore, while cell phones and unlimited calling plans have made it possible for us to talk a lot of the time, we have conflicting schedules, which can make it difficult for us to arrange times for any type of lengthy conversation. However, we can spend time e-mailing each other, devoting time to serious discussions, even if those conversations cannot be carried on in real-time. In fact, we use CMC to go on dates. For example, we will arrange to go to the same movie or read the same book, and then discuss the book or movie with each other through e-mail. We are also able to send each other photographs of each other and of things that we are each doing, keeping us intimately involved in each other's lives.
My answers tell me that CMC can have a very positive impact on interpersonal relationships. Social networking sites can help people meet new people. Of course, not every person that one meets on a...
CMC can allow people in established relationships to grow closer, by removing barriers to communication and allowing people to communicate with words rather than trying to guess the subtext of conversations. CMC can also keep people close when they are separated by long distances and time differences, which make it difficult for them to see each other in person or communicate in real-time modes, such as the telephone.
While CMC has had a positive impact on my life, I know that CMC can also hurt or hinder relationships. First, many social networking sites give people a feeling of anonymity, and they post intimate details about their personal life. A friend of mine posted details about previous relationships, and then got upset when her current boyfriend asked her for more information about them. She had invited him to be her friend on Facebook, forgetting that doing so would give him access to information about her that she would not normally reveal in the early stages of a relationship. I also know several people who have engaged in online flirtations that would have been considered affairs had the relationships been conducted face-to-face. Therefore, it is clear that while CMC can enhance relationships, it also has the potential to damage relationships.
