The Internet isn’t about the amount of information posted or the technology being used to upgrade it. Rather, it’s about being connected to new people and being able to form new friendships and compan- ionships via emails, direct messages, social sites, etc.

There once was a time when people would go out to restaurants, bars or clubs to mingle with the people of the “single scene.” Some random guy would walk up to a random woman and use the typical line, “Hey, I noticed you from across the room and thought I’d come introduce myself. What’s your number?” If the guy was lucky, he got the number.

The forming of relationships has changed from having direct contact to having a simple day-to-day easy connection through a computer or mobile device; one no longer has to go out in order to find the “love” they may want or assume they need because the social websites and text updates from Web pages make it easier to connect to anyone they would like.

What is the difference between a physical relationship and an Internet relationship? In an Internet relationship no one is required to make plans to see each other because every status update, tweet mention, email or photo update pops up in their notifications. In a physical relation- ship, you spend time together, go out and get to know each other far more than just the fully “hashtagged” bio or picture posts on Instagram.

While discussing this topic with a group of people, I discovered that most prefer the Internet relationship because it’s easier to talk to each other without being tied down physically and they have a new set of people to choose from.

I posed the question: What if you get together, and then you guys want to break up? Do you send a message or mention it over the social site, or would you want to talk about it face-to-face?

Everyone preferred a private message because it doesn’t cause a scene, but refused to talk face-to-face because it would com- plicate things. Complicate is not the word

I would use after not seeing someone I’ve been with for weeks or months via internet. It’s already complicated because you have to think: well, if he or she messaged me this who else has this message been sent to? Or, for the smart Internet users, are they crazy?

I believe love can happen in crazy ways and places, but the Internet relation- ships we are trying to maintain are causing us to limit ourselves drastically. We find when Jake tweets, “Oh I miss and love my girlfriend @SoMeRaNdOmNaMe,” that

in reality they’ve never met face to face a day in their lives. It seems to me that we’re settling for the attention of the “distant, but connected” relationship. You know, the yes, we’re together according to Facebook’s relationship status, but we never hang out because that’s just wrong in a relationship like ours.

To some, that’s just enough because they feel important in someone’s life, but to others they’re just going with the flow because it’s becoming more common to love someone that way.

The only question that remains is: How do you maintain a true relationship, if everything that involves the two of you is only expressed in less than 140 characters on Twitter?