Turkle believes we have only begun to see the types of changes in how people behave with new technology (1995). People are just learning to find what they seek, and some are struggling with how to make sense of what they find.

Technology in a way may also be abused and misused but as in anything, may be used in moderation. It boils down to responsibility for ones actions and with romance and sexuality available to Internet users from the comfort and privacy of their homes and offices, it is not surprising the marital infidelity is also made more convenient to those seeking alternatives to their existing offline relationships. In my attempt to cover this beat I went undercover and engaged in a sexual chat with a married man who worked in the same office as his wife.

Apparently his desk was facing the wife’s and so his computer screen was facing the wall. Here he was dishing out his lascivious talks and asking me to go on a rendezvous after office while his wife was just across the room knocking her brains out hard at work (or is she? Hehhehe). Well, I won’t discount the fact that chatting (whether via MIRC or Yahoo, MSN, SKYPE, etc) and cam-to-cam chats is more than a quick fix or cure for the blues, monotony of work or home life or whatever one’s reasons are for chatting, but, there should be a "Buyer Beware" tag or sign that one should keep in the back of their minds when engaging in these chats or discussions (don’t we know this all too well my beloved J?).

It is no small wonder that the electrical charge of love and romance can be heightened and intensified by the supercharged Internet. While the idea of sensual human electricity transmitted around the world is mind-boggling, it is also intriguing, and often riveting. When paired with anonymity, it can become a playground for the unconscious, for unexpressed desires, emotions, and needs. But when two people decide to extend this cyber liaison and go on a face-to-face encounter, then the impending danger begins. They are surely courting an actual sexual encounter.

Technology really breaks barriers – good or bad, it leaves us lessons learned. This issue is dedicated to all the chatter fanatics out there who unconsciously or even purposely think that the term "it’s only cyber," is just that. Please. Please. Think again.

Cyber-infidelity is defined as the act of engaging in acts of a romantic or sexual nature with an individual or individuals through electronic or virtual communities, i.e., as established through dating websites, email discussion lists, interactive games, chat rooms or newsgroups. Cyber-infidelity can easily lead to a cyber-affair, which involves the emotional investment of time and energy into an individual, group, or community.

Empowered with the varied tools of the Internet, potential lovers are able to easily and inexpensively create any environment they desire in email or other text-based environments - a weekend in Bora, The steamy Embassy bar, or a cool and cozy hotel suite or even a "Star Wars" themed motel room? They can experience the entire spectrum of a relationship online - from furtive glances across a chat room to wedding and divorce before their virtual friends and family.

For those limited in real life by physical abilities, finances, or social skills, the Internet allows them to explore their inner drives with others who are admittedly doing the same. For people who are in a committed and monogamous marriage offline, having an affair online can provide "extra romance" and "enriched" sexual experiences, but all too often, create the same threats to a committed relationship that exist in offline affairs. Cyber-infidelity has already led to reports of family complications, strife, and divorce.

(To be continued)