The Seven 'As' Contributing to Internet-Related Intimacy Problems: A Literature Review

The Internet provides many opportunities for people to connect and relate to one another. Many people, however, who access the Internet end up may end up engaging in problematic internet behavior. In this article, we outline the five “As” related to intimacy problems online (anonymity, affordability, accessibility; approximation) as identified by Cooper (2000; 2002), King (1999), Kauth and Ross (2002), and Tikkanen and Ross (2003) by outlining how these “As” are noted within the published literature. We also introduce two more “As” (ambiguity and accommodation) and review the presence of these concepts within the literature.