My immediate response to this question was “ Of course I would want my body to take the trip!”
If my body wasn’t there I couldn’t met people and develop meaningful or long lasting relationships, or could I? If there were an option to interact with other “virtual tourists” that could make a big difference in my choice. Online communities are a huge part of modern society and their “citizens” would be quick to defend those relationships that were cultivated without ever being in the same physical room as each other. In an article titled “ Virtual vs. Real - World Relationships” for Psychology Today, Dr. Jacinta Francis writes, “perceived emotional support has been shown to protect against stressful life events linked to depression, while social isolation has been associated with the risk of depression in later life.” For some virtual relationships are all they are able to have due to illness, social or physical, or other alienating factors. These online forums like, Facebook, Minecraft, Otherlife, can keep them involved in some sort of human interaction even if it means not physically touching someone else. Many happy marriages have come out of online conversations or dating services. Are these relationships any less meaningful then ones started in the same physical realm? It depends on what kind of relationship is intended. On vacation, most tourist enjoy chatting with locals about their favorite places to eat or where the most beautiful spots are. There isn’t much to lose expect a bad cab ride or maybe an upset stomach, but if looking for a romantic or more personal connection online you run the risk of “meeting” someone who is not being honest about who they are. The recent story of a Notre Dame football player, Manti Te’o who feel for a girl online that was, in fact, a boy playing a cruel joke on him nearly cost him his chance at the a career in the NFL. There is even a television show on MTV, dedicated to finding out if peoples virtual romances are frauds....