Movie Essay: The Importance Of Virtual Relationships

It is often said that virtual relationships are a poor substitute for a real relationship and that it is impossible to experience any kind of real intimacy online. This is not necessarily the case in the 21st century, within the modern society. Mainstream media heavily promotes the idea that one can find and establish a romance virtually. As we become more and more attached to and immersed in the technology, naturally we're also finding ourselves being opportunistic in terms of finding a way to bond virtually. A virtual relationship appears to be an attractive, low-commitment alternative when compared to the 'real' thing. Many also consider it to be the only viable solution when it comes to maintaining a long-distance relationship. Arguably, the only real downside to such an attractive alternative is the lack …show more content…
There are several factors for this; he sees it as a good form of escapism, often any kind of virtual experience, especially a relationship, can serve as a quick shortcut to forgetting your problems. Next factor - fear of commitment, a virtual relationship is not seen by many to require the commitment nor the effort required to build a physical relationship, at one point during the movie Theodore highlights strictly to Samantha (the operating system) that he’s not looking for anything serious. Last but not least is the feeling of desperation that the main character felt, a person whose last relationship was a long marriage with many ups and downs. He's someone who has now been lonely for a long time. It’s apparent that Theodore did not turn to a virtual relationship thinking that it’s a better alternative to real dating, but rather as a sign of desperation, impatience, and the other factors mentioned,