Do online relationships work?

Meeting someone has become easier than ever and in some cases dangerous because since the coming of the internet, meeting singles online in different countries irrespective of their country, tribe or race has become an increasing trend. It has also given people the opportunity to create an online profile and find their potential mates. However, […]

Meeting someone has become easier than ever and in some cases dangerous because since the coming of the internet, meeting singles online in different countries irrespective of their country, tribe or race has become an increasing trend. It has also given people the opportunity to create an online profile and find their potential mates.

However, experiences with online dating tend to be mixed. Some people have excellent experiences with online dating that end in satisfying relationships. Others have stories filled with confusion and frustration as shown in the responses Lifextra got when it sought peoples’ opinions on the matter.

Arokoyo Esther’s response was double-fold. She said “Yes, it does work though not all the time because some end in disaster.

When asked why she said so, she recounted the experience of a friend. “I know of a lady who met this guy online, Facebook to be precise, and they are now planning for their wedding scheduled for April. I also know a lady that was raped by a guy she met online. She went as far as Ondo State from Ibadan, and the outcome was disastrous.”

“So it has advantages and disadvantages,” she concluded.

Alexander Olajuwon, a journalist, tells Lifextra that love knows no bounds. “When two people first meet online, through chats they become friends and as time goes on, the chat becomes intimate but it is important to know that manners matter a lot. Most guys get more interested when the second party i.e the lady communicates with courtesy and vice versa.”

“I know a Yoruba lady who married a guy based in London and how did they meet? Online. Their relationship was an online relationship before they got married.”

He added that with the number of dubious people who carry fake identities around, and use it to dupe people, many people doubt its reality.

Alhassan Bala, an Abuja-based journalist, says it works because “a friend of mine is getting married in two months’ time and they met online. Though they had some challenges in the beginning, everything is moving on well right now.”

He added, “Secondly, I met two ladies online and they both fell in love with me. After some time of chatting with the first one, she asked if I could marry her, but the reason I turned her down was because she had someone her parents had accepted and according to Islamic teachings, I am not even allowed to start dating her but her parents know me very well, and thus we became family friends.”

Lifextra further learnt that the second one whom he met through a particular social media asked him for marriage but he already had a fiancée, the lady in question still nurtures some hope because they still chat often via facebook or instagram. They have also met face-to-face.

Bala also observed that most recent relationships are online but the snag is that one of the parties may be stalking the other person by monitoring his/her activities online.

Felicia Solomon, a married woman, however holds a different view. She said online relationships don’t work and ascribed the reason for her response to the experiences of people she has heard. “Another reason why online relationships don’t work is distance and in most cases, those involved pretend in terms of their behavior.”