During this past winter vacation, I, like many college students, became bored soon after a few weeks of break had gone by.

I ended up constantly looking for ways to amuse myself, and I eventually became subject to a rapidly expanding trend among my age group: I joined the online “relationship” community. If you haven’t yet heard of MySpace or Friendster, chances are you’ve heard of similar “personals” sites. To an outsider, these sites may just seem like online personal ads, but they have evolved into diversely populated settings for friendships, relationships, and even business networking.

The immense popularity of these sites is likely a direct reflection of our computer-savvy Generation Y. There are dozens of these sites, and the most popular contain millions of members. All over the world, people of varying ages and ethnicities participate, but a strong segment is in the age range of college students, and the trend doesn’t halt near the younger cusp of our generation’s age group.

This could be a result of our lifestyle. Nowadays, people have difficulty trusting and reaching out to one another, and our society encourages this; it has never been easier to eat, travel, think and generally communicate as independently as it is now. It has also become increasingly difficult for the youth to find places to congregate. In places where social interaction isn’t discouraged, a price is put on it.

“We’re spread thin geographically,” sophomore English major Phil Coleman said. “And there are few public places we can go where we aren’t pressured to spend money.”

Although much of today’s youth has found solace on the Internet because they have little alternative, many enjoy the Internet because it truly is a great way to meet people. One such person is senior music education major Kate Pohl. Pohl has been pursuing relationships online since she was 15 years old.

“When I went online, I found I was able to open myself up more than [I could] to people on the street,” Pohl said. “More often than not, I can find someone that I bond with. And online, if you don’t like the person, all you have to do is click a button.”

Online relationships definitely have the advantage of being convenient – people can simply do a search for their ideal match, and they can be as selective as they please. Through these groups, people also have the opportunity to create more intimacy in their long-distance relationships.

These sites do have disadvantages: By getting to know a person only through words and pictures, people are both voluntarily and involuntarily apt to leave out aspects of their personalities. They can miss out on that great part of conversation when two people are face to face, sharing a rapport.

The Internet used to be a scary place to meet strangers; we were often warned about middle-aged men with perverted intentions and young girls posing as people they weren’t. Now it seems to be one of the few ways which we can transcend the obstacles we face in our day-to-day social lives. Online communities may not be the perfect solution to the communication barriers of our generation, but they sure are a great start.

Columns reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the Northern Star staff.