Tens of thousands of people around the world play and connect via online games like World of Warcraft and Eve Online. In fact, the game company Blizzard hosts an in-person gaming convention that draws people from all fifty U.S. states and over forty countries. Although the gamers are certainly drawn to the costume and dance contests and the announcements of new products, they are perhaps even more drawn to the interactions they can have with other gamers. They hang around hotel lobbies talking long after the event is over, illustrating the importance of the relationships they have formed within these online worlds (Schiesel, 2011).

For years, online relationships were considered impersonal, lacking the richness of nonverbal cues found in face-to-face relationships (Tidwell & Walther, 2002). But mediated communicators actually take advantage of the lack of these cues to gain greater control over both their messages and their presentation of self. Social information processing theory (SIP) (Walther, 1996; Walther & Parks, 2002) argues that communicators use unique language and stylistic cues in their online messages to develop relationships that are just as close as those that develop face to face—but often take more time to become intimate. Online communicators can develop hyperpersonal communication, communication that is even more personal and intimate than face-to-face interaction. Freed from the less controllable nonverbal cues (such as appearances or nervous fidgeting), online communicators can carefully craft their messages and cultivate idealized perceptions of each other (Walther & Ramirez, 2009). Indeed, relational partners often feel less constrained in the online environment (Caplan, 2001), which can lead to the development of rich and meaningful relationships both online and off (Antheunis, Valkenburg, & Peter, 2010; Pauley & Emmers-Sommer, 2007).

Romances and friendships can frequently bud and be maintained through the use of electronic media. More than one-third of U.S. marriages now begin as online matches (Cacioppo et al., 2013); although their initial interactions are entirely electronic—only meeting face to face after a series of messages, e-mails, and perhaps phone calls—the resulting relationships are more satisfying, and the individuals are slightly less likely to separate or divorce once married (Cacioppo et al., 2013). Even established couples maintain long-distance relationships by using electronic media; they tend to communicate greater intimacy than geographically close partners and are more likely to avoid conflict and problematic topics when communicating electronically (Stafford, 2010). Similarly, sharing photos, videos, and stories on Facebook, Twitter, or blogs allows us to share our lives with friends and family in other states and countries. And regular texting, video chats, phone calls, and e-mail messages keep partners close and aware of each other’s lives (Bergen, 2010; Maguire & Kinney, 2010; Mansson, Myers, & Turner, 2010; Merolla, 2010a).

Of course, a danger of communicating solely online with someone is that it can be difficult to detect whether the information posted is truthful. Photos can be altered and descriptions of one’s experiences exaggerated. At the extreme, online relationships might even be outright false. Former Notre Dame linebacker Monti Te’o was the apparent victim of an elaborate relationship hoax. He thought he was developing a romantic relationship with a woman online who turned out to be a fake persona created by an acquaintance. When finally revealed, the hoax created much personal as well as public embarrassment and dismay (Zeman, 2013).