Digital Platforms as Means of Social Interaction: Threats and Opportunities in Online Affective Relationships

Nowadays, the way in which human interactions are developed has been altered due to the diverse technologies available in the society. The Internet and social networks constitute tools that foster the development of human dimensions, the social and technological. Digital platforms promote social relationships by creating virtual spaces where the human interaction overcomes barriers such as time, distance, language and other variable that could limit communication. There are websites that ease the search for a person who matches criteria or parameters determined by the user; otherwise, finding an ideal match in the real-life situation would not be that simple. This work aims to describe the risks, threats and opportunities involved in the use of digital platforms, as well as the security mechanism that minimize the risks which the users are exposed to. Moreover, it analyzes the success or failure of the affective relationships established through digital means. Overall, the social interaction factors are described from the technological and cultural perspectives which boost that interaction in virtual spaces.