ONLINE RELATIONSHIPS

As technology continues to advance, more and more of our lives are becoming digital. Through blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and countless other social media we interface with hundreds of people, some of which we may have never met in person. Are these virtual relationships as good as those developed in person? Bloggers Regina Lynn and Harold Johnson comment on the validity of online relationships.

In her post, Don’tDismiss Online Relationships as Fantasy, Regina Lynn staunchly defends online relationships. She acknowledges several recent articles describing online relationships that have gone awry in real life, but suggests that there may have been more going on than what meets the eye. Throughout her description of the articles, Lynn uses short interjectory sentences that voice her opinion of the matter. Right after introducing the fact that some articles suggests that online relationships are “just fantasy”, Lynn states, “They aren’t.”. Her use of short sentences gives the piece a more conversational feel and also leaves no doubt about Lynn’s opinions. Later in the post, Lynn tugs at the emotions of readers using the word “we” when discussing relationship problems that many people struggle with. By using pathos, Lynn convinces readers to see how similar online and offline relationships are.

Harold Johnson wrote a post entitled How Real Are Internet Relationships? in which he explores the positive and negative to online relationships. The post begins with a personal anecdote describing Johnson’s various types of relationships, both online and off. By beginning with a personal story, Johnson uses ethos and reveals that he has a personal connection to the topic. Johnson uses many rhetorical questions throughout his post, encouraging readers to think for themselves and form their own opinions. When discussing the aspect of meeting people online, Johnson puts the words “meeting”, “friends”, and “rooms” all in quotations. By offsetting these key words, one is led to believe that Johnson questions the validity of interactions done online. In the end, Johnson concludes that his opinion of online relationships is still a “work in progress”.

Fostering relationships online is a topic that is often debated. Both Regina Lynn and Harold Johnson use similar literary techniques including anecdotes and strong diction to voice their opinion, but each piece has a different tone and uses unique sentence structures. Through their use of rhetorical devices, both Lynn and Johnson are able to connect with the reader and successfully communicate their individual opinions.