Maintaining Meaningful Relationships in a Virtual World

Far from the past, where it required physical connection to build and maintain friendships, the digital age has redefined these. Thanks to digital evolution, we can now connect with different people, both known and unknown, with just a few clicks. These are made possible via tools that come with digital innovation, from social media to email, online communities, and messaging apps that connect people from different spheres of life, making interaction borderless and seamless. However, despite how great these are, it's worth noting that they come with their own challenges, and here I'll be telling you how to maintain healthy relationships in my online interactions.

Being a pro digital individual who has, through the years, embraced the social space, from Facebook to Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, and many others, including our very own Hive blockchain, and using all of these social media spaces has made me appreciate the value of online connection, because even though there are loads of bad people with horrible intentions in the social space, I can't help but recognize the fact that good people also occupy this space and have impacted my life positively in diverse ways, financially, literally, emotionally, and several others, which helps me network, learn, and become a better person, but just like the physical world, we also need to learn to set boundaries and be mindful of who we interact with and the kind of information we share.

Understanding that digital interaction can be deceptive is quite essential in our bid to maintain a healthy digital relationship, which is why we must indulge in every single conversation with wisdom and caution. Below, I highlighted some of the measures to put in place to maintain a healthy digital relationship.

• Set Clear Boundaries: It's very important that we don't give someone we meet online access to our life information regardless of how convincing and honest they sound; we should be able to come to terms with understanding that some things aren't appropriate to be shared online. I remember a lady in my neighborhood once met a guy online, and they started dating. One thing led to another, and they started exchanging nudes of themselves. When the relationship went south, the guy, out of anger, released all her exclusive photos online for everyone to see, which went on to tarnish her reputation.

• Protect Your Privacy: We must be watchful of the things we share in the social space; oversharing is very dangerous regardless of how convincing the person on the other end seems. Private information should remain private and not be shared online, as we might end up falling victim to scammers and hackers. I remember the case of a just-retired man in Europe who got a call that was alleged to be from his bank and their desire to help him first with the issue over the internet as they chatted and asking for sensitive information and details. After sharing all of those, he started getting debit alerts and realizing he had been conned, which led to him having a heart attack that claimed his life.

• Watch for Red Flags: There are tons of people online who are just so, so they can manipulate or catfish others by pretending to be who they're not. When you perceive that someone is being too intrusive, pushing boundaries, and making you feel uncomfortable in one way or another, you should trust your instincts and distance yourself from them before things get out of hand. Most times when I see such people, being someone who's careful, I try to play mind games with them before letting them know I'm aware of their games, but to be on the safer side, we should hesitate to report or block such people.

Overall, it's well known that digital relationships have become a powerful path in our world today that offers both opportunities and challenges. We must be proactive enough to set boundaries and take necessary measures to maintain a healthy digital relationship.

All photos are taken and edited on canva.