Clinical Implications of Internet Infidelity: Where Facebook Fits In.

The Internet can enhance existing relationships or facilitate the development of new relationships, including illicit ones. Increased research in this area has predominately been on online sexual addiction and pornography, with few about social networking sites. Facebook, a popular social networking...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American Journal of Family Therapy Vol. 42; no. 4; pp. 325 - 340
Main Authors: Cravens, Jaclyn D., Whiting, Jason B.
Format: Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd Jul-Sep2014
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Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Description
Summary:The Internet can enhance existing relationships or facilitate the development of new relationships, including illicit ones. Increased research in this area has predominately been on online sexual addiction and pornography, with few about social networking sites. Facebook, a popular social networking site boasting 1.15 billion active users. This article reviews existing literature on Internet infidelity, comparing online activities and Facebook-specific behaviors. Five areas related to Internet infidelity will be explored, such as definitions and the impact on relationships. Although several similarities exist between general Internet and Facebook-specific infidelity, unique differences exist. Implications for future research and clinical practice are presented.