Explication of Online Infidelity in Virtual Romantic Relationships

The emergence of new technology has significantly impacted romantic relationships and altered traditional approaches to how they are formed, maintained, and disrupted, giving rise to complex relational challenges such as online infidelity. Despite its significance and growing prevalence, the concept of online infidelity remains inconsistently defined and measured across academic disciplines. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to provide a detailed explication of online infidelity to promote greater clarity and coherence in both theoretical understanding and empirical investigation. Guided by Chaffee’s (1991) concept explication framework, this study explores the historical, psychological, sociocultural, and technological foundations of online infidelity. Findings suggest that online infidelity is influenced by psychological, gender, and cultural factors, and that these influences may vary across contexts. This investigation also identifies key dimensions of online infidelity: Emotional, sexual, secrecy and deception, and technological dimensions. In addition, this study also compares different related constructs with online infidelity and proposes generalizable theoretical and operational definitions to address conceptual inconsistency.