ABSTRACT
Deai-kei means “type of encounter.” The term is specific to the Internet, reflecting a class of communication, within which two broad types exist: deai, where the aim is to meet another person either virtually or in the flesh; and mêru-tomo, which literally means “mail friend” – a twenty-first-century pen pal.1 A cousin of chat, deai provides protected encounters which, nonetheless, enable users to drop the veil of anonymity and pair up.2 The ultimate aim for many is to transform electronic encounters into face-to-face interchange. As a result, deai is strongly associated with issues of dating, companionship, sexuality and romance.
