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Flirting online is not the same as flirting face-to-face. The beauty of the virtual medium is that flirting is based on words, charm, and seduction, not physical attraction and cues. The online world gives those people who do not fit a stereotypical model of human beauty a chance to be Don Juans and Carmen Mirandas and have an equal opportunity to be found desirable. For those considered beautiful by societal standards, it gives them a chance to be attractive to others for reasons other than their physical qualities (i.e., intellect, charm, interests, etc.). It is possible to account for the richness and depth relationships can take on via this seemingly impersonal medium by applying psychosocial theories of intimate attraction as well as describing the qualities of interpersonal interactions that take place online. Components of attraction as based on the theory of the development of face-to-face relationships are explored, and then considered in terms of how these theories hold up under a new application. Examples of stories of people who have begun relationships online are used to illustrate. Implications for future research are explored.
Deb Levine (Tue,) studied this question.