Once again, it's a cultural conceit. We meet people via the internet and after establishing a relationship move on to a new, more serious stage of face to face, and physical, contact. We've learned to accept this as the logical course upon which a relationship develops. But I see no reason why a beautiful friendship can't develop between people who meet through, let's say, work, date for a while and consider a physical relationship, and then discover that the method via which they feel closest to each other is e-mail or ICQ.