The Internet provides a new and powerful form of communication through which social dynamics can be amplified and be given new scope: meeting up virtually with new possible partners is one of the more recent options and it has been steadily increasing. These themes have been examined in this paper, in order to improve our comprehension of the phenomenon as well as its repercussions on the relational-affective sphere.

The actual paper is a theoretical contribution on the theme of on-line meetings. For this research, the Authors have used the main research engines like PubMed and PsycoInfo.

The interaction with another person whose physical appearance and voice are not known allows to lower personal defences, with individuals being more prone to open up and show personal aspects that would normally be hidden in real life. The level of attunement established by “chat room couples” is often high; members feel understood and experience strong emotions in a sort of “adolescent crush” in which fantasy play a fundamental role; the other person is often idealized and experienced as the person one has always wanted to meet.

The conviction of having found oneʼs soul mate may result in a dangerous detachment from reality and develop into a genuine form of dependence (IAD, Internet Addiction disorder) that must be adequately addressed. A case history will also be presented.