Advanced technologies, the internet, and various social media handles have made it easy for everyone to get in touch with new people from all over the globe. It has also made the line between what can be classified as being unfaithful and what is not pretty messy.
We all know that infidelity in real life is considered to be very wrong by society. Meeting someone else from work, or your ex secretly behind your partner’s back means cheating on them but what about the exchange of flirtatious messages on social media, or using dating apps? What are the boundaries when it comes to digital communications?
In today’s era of rapidly evolving technology, being unfaithful and cheating on your partner can take various forms. But what is digital infidelity actually? Digital infidelity can be described as indulging in online communications that overstep the boundaries of your relationship without your partner having any knowledge about it.
Digital infidelity has various forms. It can be exchanging flirtatious chats with someone else other than your partner, sending intimate pictures, or forming a strong emotional bond with someone sitting behind the other end of the screen.
A lot of people assume that just because these things happen through a screen separating them so it does not become a ‘real infidelity’. But in reality, even digital infidelity can be as harmful as physical infidelity which might even lead to the end of a happy relationship.
Signs of digital infidelity
Be it digital infidelity or physical infidelity, the signs often appear to be similar. The only difference you would see in the case of digital infidelity is that you will see your partner spending too much time staying online and becoming more secretive about their online activities.
Your spouse seems to be maintaining distance from you
If you feel like your partner is not being properly attentive toward your relationship, this might be a warning sign for you. Your spouse suddenly seems to be maintaining distance from you, not communicating with you properly, and there is a feeling of disconnection between you two. With time, you will feel that this is also converting into intimacy issues.
You feel a change in communication
If your partner is getting engaged in digital infidelity, then you will notice that they are not communicating with you properly. You will also notice that they become very defensive whenever you try to have a conversation with them regarding the changes that you have noticed. They are even likely to blame you for the issues that have arisen in your relationship.
Your partner suddenly starts to act secretive
Whenever someone gets involved in an act of digital infidelity, they will start to be very secretive about all their activities. In an effort to hide their online affair, they are likely to do the things mentioned below.
- Your partner will suddenly change the passwords of all their social media accounts and also remove your access to all shared email ids and social media handles.
- They will put strong passwords on all their devices such as computers, mobiles, or tablets, and might even refuse to let you use them.
- They will suddenly start to demand more privacy and alone time
Change in your partner’s behavior
Sudden and unexplained changes in your spouse’s behavior can be a sign that indicates digital infidelity. Your spouse may suddenly seem to be different, moodier, or more critical of you. They will suddenly start ignoring all their household duties and responsibilities. They will start lying about various things and whenever you feel insecure, they are not able to provide proper reassurance as they did in previous times.
Dealing with Digital Infidelity
Digital infidelity is often ignored thinking that it does not fall on cheating as everything happens behind the screens. But, this is not the case. Even digital infidelity might break a relationship giving the victim a bad heartbreak. Whenever you feel like your partner is having an affair with someone they met online, the first thing you should do is communicate openly with them. Of course, this is going to be a very difficult conversation but this is necessary and you must remain calm while doing that.
It is also essential for you to know the reasons that led to the beginning of their online relationship or whatever it is. It will give you an insight into what went wrong between you two that your spouse took this harsh step. In many cases, infidelity often arises due to other problems in a marriage such as lack of communication, low compatibility, sexual or emotional dissatisfaction, and many more.
Dealing with digital infidelity is difficult but if your partner realizes their mistake and you are willing to give them another chance then you must have honest communication with each other and make efforts to rebuild the broken trust. A lot of times, the spouse might not accept being involved in any digital infidelity, so you can hire a private investigator Dubai to collect strong evidence and then ask them for their answers.