From an Indian newspaper...IANS
Virtual affairs souring real relationships
NEW DELHI: With more men and women having cyber affairs, Internet infidelity has arrived in India. Spouses are trying to catch their techno-savvy unfaithful partners in cyber space, some by keeping pace with technology, others by reading self-help books. Some others are seeking professional help to cope with their agony. (interesting choice of word there.)
Casual e-affairs, which usually last up to a few weeks, are increasingly souring real-life relationships. Anoop works from home on his PC and promptly logs off around 7 p.m. when it's time for his wife to get back home.He insists that the women he chats with are just "friends"."Once in a while I may also flirt with them," he said. Excessive use of Internet is also becoming a reason for break-up of marriages. Adil, 48, who lives with his wife and two teenage children in east Delhi, has posted fake profiles on almost all matrimonial sites. He interacts with prospective brides trying to pass off as a 30-something groom and often exchanges phone numbers. "He spends most of his leisure time on the Internet," said his wife, who is seeing a marriage counselor. (as opposed to spending with you - is there a message there?)
"His other 'hobby' is to surf adult sites. The kids use the same computer and often we find indecent pictures of women popping up on the PC," she said. "We called in an engineer and installed filters to stop such pop-ups, but he keeps removing the filters. He doesn't care about the children. It is too early for the kids to be exposed to such adult stuff," she added. (no kidding, but you've got to wonder about a guy who would expose his kids to porn and not care, doncha think?)
Ariestotle (chat name) is a film production assistant in Mumbai who usually works 15 days a month. "I usually chat with women," admits Ariestotle, who is logged on to the Yahoo and MSN messengers round-the-clock. "The only time I am not logged in is when my brother wants to use the PC or I am not at home. I use my cellphone to interact then," he said.
It's not just the husbands and boyfriends- the wives and girlfriends are not far behind. Anita, 29, by her own admission is addicted to the '30-something-room' on a popular Indian chat site. "Even when I am at work I have to just log in and be there. I may not be participating actively, but the compulsion to log in is immense," she said. Anita has befriended quite a few friends in the cyber world. "I have had a few showdowns with my husband over this. So I am a little careful now. I chat and even call up friends when he is not around."
Anita can discuss everything from books to films to her married life with her cyber friends and most of her discussions are on-camera. "I am very thick with these friends. In fact, they are my best friends. They cheer me up when I sulk and are always around when I need them."As rebuilding trust after an episode of Internet infidelity may not be easy, plenty of websites are offering tips to deal with it. They ask spouses not to go online unless there is a purpose, and not to sign in if they are bored, lonely or had an argument with their spouse. (Wow, impressive. Now that's advice!)
Virtual affairs souring real relationships
NEW DELHI: With more men and women having cyber affairs, Internet infidelity has arrived in India. Spouses are trying to catch their techno-savvy unfaithful partners in cyber space, some by keeping pace with technology, others by reading self-help books. Some others are seeking professional help to cope with their agony. (interesting choice of word there.)
Casual e-affairs, which usually last up to a few weeks, are increasingly souring real-life relationships. Anoop works from home on his PC and promptly logs off around 7 p.m. when it's time for his wife to get back home.He insists that the women he chats with are just "friends"."Once in a while I may also flirt with them," he said. Excessive use of Internet is also becoming a reason for break-up of marriages. Adil, 48, who lives with his wife and two teenage children in east Delhi, has posted fake profiles on almost all matrimonial sites. He interacts with prospective brides trying to pass off as a 30-something groom and often exchanges phone numbers. "He spends most of his leisure time on the Internet," said his wife, who is seeing a marriage counselor. (as opposed to spending with you - is there a message there?)
"His other 'hobby' is to surf adult sites. The kids use the same computer and often we find indecent pictures of women popping up on the PC," she said. "We called in an engineer and installed filters to stop such pop-ups, but he keeps removing the filters. He doesn't care about the children. It is too early for the kids to be exposed to such adult stuff," she added. (no kidding, but you've got to wonder about a guy who would expose his kids to porn and not care, doncha think?)
Ariestotle (chat name) is a film production assistant in Mumbai who usually works 15 days a month. "I usually chat with women," admits Ariestotle, who is logged on to the Yahoo and MSN messengers round-the-clock. "The only time I am not logged in is when my brother wants to use the PC or I am not at home. I use my cellphone to interact then," he said.
It's not just the husbands and boyfriends- the wives and girlfriends are not far behind. Anita, 29, by her own admission is addicted to the '30-something-room' on a popular Indian chat site. "Even when I am at work I have to just log in and be there. I may not be participating actively, but the compulsion to log in is immense," she said. Anita has befriended quite a few friends in the cyber world. "I have had a few showdowns with my husband over this. So I am a little careful now. I chat and even call up friends when he is not around."
Anita can discuss everything from books to films to her married life with her cyber friends and most of her discussions are on-camera. "I am very thick with these friends. In fact, they are my best friends. They cheer me up when I sulk and are always around when I need them."As rebuilding trust after an episode of Internet infidelity may not be easy, plenty of websites are offering tips to deal with it. They ask spouses not to go online unless there is a purpose, and not to sign in if they are bored, lonely or had an argument with their spouse. (Wow, impressive. Now that's advice!)
posted by The Adulteress at
4:26 PM
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