Online Affairs

Are Online Affairs Considered Cheating?

What do people think about cyber affairs and cyber sex?

Today the Internet is an indispensable tool for almost all areas of human endeavors, and that includes sex.

Yes, you heard that right!

The Internet has made it easy to view pornography and even have cyber affairs and cyber sex.

Presently, 8 to 10 percent of Internet users actually become addicted to cyber sex and one third of divorce litigation is actually sparked by online affairs.

So, the big questions are – can cyber sex be considered cheating? Is it actually adultery and what should you do if you suspect your wife is having an online affair? How close is an online-affair to a real affair? And how easy is it to cross that line?

Opinions on the answers to the questions are as varied as anything you can think of, but for the purpose of this piece, let's set a hypothetical scenario and look at the views of Mike, a man whose wife was having an online affair and Dr Joy Browne, a clinical psychologist and relationship expert.

Is your wife the type that spends long hours on the computer, either at home or in the office? It could be the first tell tale sign of an online affair. And this is exactly what tipped off Mike. This is what he said: "When I’d walk in, she’d be switching screens so that I couldn’t see what she was doing. She’d say she was working".

So what did Mike do? He installed a software package on the computer. The program kept track of all activity on the computer, including all e-mails, instant messages, websites visited and even every keystroke made from that computer.

Reports were emailed to ;Mike and that's how he caught his wife cheating. He is now in the middle of a divorce.

This raises an interesting point- is it ok to install spy software on the computer?

Legally...Yes, as long as you own the computer on which you install the spy software on. But Mike would not have been legally able to put it on his wife's computer at work or any other computer that didn't belong to them.

The surge in online affairs/cyber sex has spurned a new market- electronic spying. But Dr. Joy Browne says cyber-sex is really not cheating.

Then what is it?

Her reply: "As long as no body fluids were exchanged, an affair cannot be said to have taken place"

When the question of – if there is anyway online-affairs can be harmless – was put forward to Dr Browne, her reply was-

"It is the same argument that people who use pot go on to use hard drugs. It seems to be circular reasoning. What we know is that men tend to talk to women when they are talking about emotional issues. If our men knew what we talked about with each other, they would go ballistic"

So, what is the answer to the question "is cyber-sex cheating?"

For a woman the allure of a "knight in shining armor" online pushes her over the line. Yet, when exactly did she cross the line? Does her relationship become adulterous when flirting starts?

People often justify their online affairs because they see them as virtual, not cheating, says Marnie Farrie, a relationship expert, especially if the relationship is only emotional, not sexual.

However, people cross the line when they begin to sneak around behind their spouses’ back to share intimate thoughts with another person.

Emotional Affairs

Extramarital Affairs

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