Computer Love

A friend who will remain nameless has told me she found that her boyfriend had a myspace acct. and had actually made a few friends online.(no big deal right) In discovering her boyfriends acct. (this is key, don't search for things b/c you may find something you don't want too) she found her boyfriend had made several different (female)friends on the acct. I personally didn't see anything wrong w/ it at first b/c online communication is wonderful for many people. It can provide easy access to friendship and support for the physically less-abled, the elderly, carers, and those living in remote locations, it also passes time at work.
the online accts are also places where people who struggle with shyness or low self-esteem, get the opportunity to build confidence and social skills in a non-threatening environment. But for others, this same accessibility has created problems.
When she was digging and following some of the contacts he had made she found he had made plans w/ a few of them and also had met up w/ a couple of them. This was disturbing to her b/c he hadn' mentioned anything about his new found friends. Now it was kind of intriguing to me b/c she stated they were going through something but nothing serious.
She said she felt betrayed b/c she didn't know what kind of things he may have discussed w/ these other people or what kind of relationship they have. She isn't sure whether they are just friends or whether it has developed into something more. (yeah she is naive)
I'm sure that for those who feel lonely or isolated in their relationship, the web is somewhere they can find a comforting ear. But isn't that why a lot of people use myspace and friendster, to make new friends. Whatever the reasons for being unhappy, the internet can become a tempting distraction from the heartache and hassle of tackling relationship problems.
(my tangent)
Hell, I know a couple of my friends, who have actually dated online people they've met, not that, those dates have developed into anything but they've done it. Now at the time they weren't in a relationship, so no harm no foul.
But meeting with others online or in person, often makes things worse. In talking to her I can tell she feels resentful of the amount of time spent online when they could be spending time together. And the more time you spend chatting, laughing, and sharing your problems with someone other than your partner, the further apart you're likely to feel from them. In speaking w/ her she feels isolated b/c he isn't sharing information w/ her and she is now on the outside looking in.

I asked her, if she had confronted him about how she feels about the acct and she said no...(she looking to be hurt) She is trying to justify his behaviour, saying it's not really anything serious, just conversation. "He never really had a lot of friends growing up." But I think that any intimate activity between two people that breaches the trust of a partner is cheating.(you hook up and meet) And that most certainly includes online relationships.
I told her the best thing she could do is confront her boyfriend and explain to him how she feels. Any comments on what else I should tell her to do????