"Charlotte's web": How one woman weaves positive relationships on the Net

This case study will explore one woman's experience of the Internet as a po sitive transformational medium through relationship. In order to protect th e anonymity of the participant and in honor of the original female on the w eb, she has been referred to throughout the paper as Charlotte. This case s tudy explores her online experience as a divorced woman in her early thirti es, who soon after her discovery of the Internet began an online relationsh ip. This resulted in, among other things, the end of her marriage. On the s urface, Charlotte's story reads like that of many others. However, while th at initial online relationship did not work out, she continued to use the I nternet as a means of finding and developing other relationships, both plat onic and romantic. She can also be distinguished from the stereotyped "onli ne junkie," as she has maintained a strong face-to-face social life along s ide her Internet relationships. In her own words, "The Internet has been a positive and transformational medium in my life." As well, she has kept a d etailed journal of her experience since her first foray onto the Net 18 mon ths ago, making her an ideal candidate for a case study. Material for the c ase study was gathered over the course of a number of 1-hour interviews car ried out online via ICQ(R) chat software. Charlotte was encouraged to refle ct upon her journal before each interview, and ambiguities in the interview were resolved by E-mail follow-up. A qualitative analysis was carried out on the material through a hermeneutic frame, exploring themes of self-perce ption and self in relation to others.