What's the harm in a like'? This is how micro-cheating' works on your cell phone

"which he wrote after a friend told him that he'd been messaging a woman every day for months. But we didn't sleep together, no way I respect my girlfriend, the friend clarified. What other situations can involve cheating? When the avenues for contacting others be they acquaintances or strangers are endless, and when we have direct access to countless photos and videos of other people (whether they're normal, suggestive, or explicit) how is the concept of fidelity altered in 2025?"

"sexologist and writer Valerie Tasso explains that infidelity has always been more of a social concept, rather than a biological or legal one. Its definition changes with the culture. The digital world has accelerated this transformation. [Today], we're seeing scenarios that didn't exist before. These new digital spaces such as OnlyFans or ChatGPT add new problems and nuances: there isn't always another human being on the other end [of the screen], there isn't always reciprocity and there isn't always a romantic intention, she explains."

Lily Allen's revenge against a cheating partner involved music and a costly, widely publicized divorce that produced an acclaimed album, illustrating that infidelity now has diverse faces. Social media, messaging and dating apps create a parallel universe of virtual indiscretions that can be more damaging than physical affairs for some. A man messaging another woman daily while insisting he never slept with her exemplifies changing norms. New digital spaces such as OnlyFans and AI tools introduce scenarios without a human interlocutor, without reciprocity, or without romantic intent. Emotional intimacy, rather than the body, becomes the site of betrayal.

Read at english.elpais.com