Is it possible to cheat on someone online?

[Skullbones]

How would you feel if you found out your spouse or girlfriend/boyfriend was flirting online? Or how about if she/he was having intimidate discussions with someone? Does it make a difference if they live 1000 miles or 5 miles away? What about if they exchange seductive photos? At what point would you consider it cheating?

The poll is geared towards monogomous relationships. If you don't practice or believe in such a thing then please just vote other.

 

[Ancient Grudge]

no

 

[Mojotronica]

It really depends on what is considered cheating by the partner.

I am not the type to judge, but I'd probably be a little concerned if my fiance started sending sexually detailed content or pics to a specific individual, whether we know them in RL or not. Posting stuff in general forums or casually flirting with individuals would not bother me.

Public forums are okay, but PMs, e-mail or IMs are questionable.

Chat rooms are kind of worrisome too, but not for any particular reason (because they are public) -- I just think it's a little too ephemeral and dynamic a medium to entirely trust.

 

[Smidlee]

Originally posted by Mojotronica

I am not the type to judge,.

I'm not the TYPE to flirt either

 

[Superevie]

Yikes... I think it qualifies as cheating if you are flirting and having another realtionship. It's not in real space, but it counts. Reason #153 why I don't have internet relationships...anymore.

 

[Archer 007]

All the specific person ones are cheating, as well as public nudity.

 

[The Yankee]

My guess would be pretty much all but a little flirting, which people do anyway....if it's bad enough face to face, then why not extend it to the great forum known as the Internet. Especially if they have some kind of "relationship" going on. Have no idea how those things work, but whatever, if you got one in life and one on here, cheating it is.

 

[Sarevok]

ITS ALL CHEATING

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

There is no such thing as cheating, just human misconceptions about the game that is being played.

 

[The Yankee]

Don't care. I wouldn't tolerate any of those things, no matter how desperate I may ever be for a relationship, period. Only after a long argument and a helluva lot of sucking up would I consider getting over any flirting. Does not matter if it's the guy down the street or some anonymous jerk 5,000 miles away or to anyone in general.

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

I also likely wouldn't care enough to continue the relationship. Odds are, unless she is in to Civ and global megalomania, I wouldn't be interested in much of an "intimate" relationship anyways.

 

[Loaf Warden]

It makes no difference whether or not they have met the person in real life. A sexual advance sent over the Internet is still a sexual advance.

Nudity is more of a personal opinion, I think. (Well, okay, it's all personal opinion.) What I mean is, some people always associate nudity with sex, and some people consider them entirely separate. In this case, I would say the answer depends first upon what your personal opinions on nudity are, and secondly, upon what your partner's intentions in sending the picture were. If your partner is a known nudist, and he or she says to an online pal, "Hey, check out these pics from my latest vacation," then that's not cheating, because there was no sexual intent. But even if you yourself are totally comfortable with nudity, having your partner send someone else pictures featuring sexual poses and close-ups of their reproductive region . . . well, that's considerably more questionable, isn't it.

Myself, I'm moderately comfortable with nudity. I like to think I'd be open-minded enough to be accepting of the sending of such pictures if it was demonstrably non-sexual in intent. But I don't know if I'd succeed. I think deep down, it would still bother me, just because my culture has trained me that way.

 

[Simon Darkshade]

Only through creative and possibly painful use of the floppy disk drive...

As to the options, one views all of the 'examples' as adultery, and those guilty should suffer at minimum tarring and feathering, along with the wearing of the scarlet letter, and at maximum should suffer death by hanging.

 

[Brewster]

If you discuss intimate details of your love life online with someone without the knowing consent of your partner, you are cheating. If you are sharing personal pictures (nude or semi-nude) with someone without your partner knowing about it, you are cheating.

My girlfriend was convinced I was cheating with someone on this forum since I spend a great deal of time here. To calm her, I showed her what CFC was all about ("Look honey. There are around 40,000 members here and only five girls. This entire board is all about Civ.") and now she is cool with it.

 

[EzInKy]

Nope, it is impossible for a person to "cheat" online.

 

[Inter4]

It´s impossible to have a relationship online..so it´s impossible to cheat.

 

[carlosMM]

cheating is in the mind first, everything else is just 'going through the motions' - so it is possible.

 

[Zardnaar]

Personally I would draw the line at sending nude photos to each other. Apart from that I wouldn't care to much what my girlfriend gets up to online. I once had a girlfriend who would "cybersex" and it didn't worry me. I don't do it because.

1. I'm not that big of a geek.

2. It doesn't interest me.

3. The guys I know who do it are.... strange?

4. Its an illusion/ fantasy. I would rather read Playboy.

5. I'm a cyber virgin. I don't bother chatting online. Messageboards and email is about it for me.

 

[gr8ful wes]

It is only cheating if the Significant other thinks it is.

I mean, some couples have sex with other people, and they claim it enhances their marriage

 

[bobgote]

Second Simon's comment about floppy drives

either that or interesting new peripheral devices that i haven't yet seen (and/or a purpose for joysticks that fulfils their given name )

seriously though, it'd be a concern and I wouldn't want my partner doing it, but I wouldn't call it cheating.