Can Love be Virtual?

First, here are some vocabulary terms:

The "propinquity effect" is the tendency for people to form friendships or romantic relationships with those whom they encounter often, forming a bond between subject and friend.

Sapiosexual: sa·pi·o·sex·u·al ˌsāpēōˈsekSH(o͞o)əl/ adjective
1. (of a person) finding intelligence sexually attractive or arousing. "I met a PhD student from Germany who told me that he was sapiosexual" noun
2. a person who finds intelligence sexually attractive or arousing. "I'm a sapiosexual and I like to talk"

Other factors leading to interpersonal attraction have been studied, all of which involve social reinforcement. The most frequently studied are physical attractiveness, propinquity, familiarity, similarity, complementarity, reciprocal liking, and reinforcement.

"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpersonal_attraction

But does this bond have to be 'in-person'?

Sometimes I wonder about the 'virtual crush' effect (coined by yours truly). That we tend to fall in love with the IDEA of someone- and not the everyday reality of being WITH that person.

Derreck Morton says on a blog post:

"Why Couples Are Finding Real Love in Virtual Worlds" that;

"The stigma around meeting a love interest online is dissipating more and more with every new story of love found in unexpected ways. Online games and virtual worlds are increasingly being embraced as just the right place to nurture new relationships and help couples grow their bond from friendship into something more."

Check out Facebooks new Virtual Dating concept...

a little creepy-fun if you ask me.

The youtube show reinforces Facebook's commitment to VR technology.

Learn more about this story at:

www.newsy.com/71744/

What are your thoughts on love in the virtual world? What do virtual enviornments show us about the experience of 'being in love'?

Thanks for reading!

-JuXtin

I'm still figuring out the html stuff- bare with me. :D