During the days when Internet was not the thing that preoccupies a person, cheating is as straightforward as it can get: you sleep with another person, commit adulterous act or have a relationship to more than one person.
During the days when Internet was not the thing that preoccupies a person, cheating is as straightforward as it can get: you sleep with another person, commit adulterous act or have a relationship to more than one person. But with sex services readily available online, the line between porn and infidelity turned pretty blurry. One day you're watching harmless video clips, the next day you are chatting with a naked person on a webcam.
Is this cheating? What if you are chatting with professional? What if it only happened once? What if you are just acting out and do not have any plans to meet and do it in person? What if you only consider it similar to porn, just interactive?
These questions really place cybersex on a blurry portion between fidelity and cheating. But for most, this is outright cheating. But isn't it surprising that many people who are not cheating in any other way engage in cybersex at least once in their life? In a survey made in 2000 where only 57 million Americans have access to internet, 25 million visit cybersex sites at least one hour per week. A lot has changed since then and a lot more adult sites are available online.
What is cheating anyway? Trends, technology, and change in norms have affected the definition of cheating. While the traditional definition and examples are still being followed, what follows thereafter had made cheating not as clearly defined as it was. Should we limit cheating to sexual acts that happen with physical contact? Can we consider cybersex similar to reading a menu but not ordering? Or can we consider it as an outright violation of trust? Is cybersex simply a manifestation of sex addiction?
At this point where there are a lot shady areas in relationship rules, it is about time to redefine the activities that are considered immoral and unacceptable. There are standards in society but standards are often not clear, much more being followed or understood univocally by the couple. If the society cannot provide the rules, make one as a couple. The point is, if the current standards do not clearly define what's right and wrong, the couple should always know what's cheating or not.
I guess the most accurate way of defining if an act is cheating or not is to ask your partner if it is okay with them if you do it or not. The answer will always be the right one. Or just ask yourself, if it is okay with you if your partner engages in cybersex.
