Things You Need To Know Before You Start Dating Online
In an all-digital era, many things can be done through online media, as well as online dating. In its presence, online dating is considered ‘more modern’ because of the wider opportunity to find a partner from any other regions. No wonder people living in the South get to know and date people living in the North. Based on Online Dating Statistics, there are about 40 million Americans using dating sites and apps, it is becoming more and more common for people to meet and date online.
In practice, some people have excellent experiences with online dating that end in satisfying relationships, but some people may go another way. Finkel and associates (2012) put together an extremely comprehensive review of the literature investigating various aspects of online dating. Results of their assessment indicated that dating online was indeed different from ‘traditional’ dating in a number of ways. It also provided some superior features and potential problems.
Before you start dating online, it is a good idea to know the pros and cons.
The Pros
1. You get to meet more people. The best thing about these online dating sites is they can match you up with thousands of potential life partners from many regions. This is very helpful especially for people who work or live in an environment where there are not many single people to meet, or if they do not have a large social circle.
2. You can find people with some interest. Some sites may ask about what topics you like (to talk about) and they are going to help you match with some people with the same interest just like yours. It must be fun to be able to chat with these people and it is very likely that you can move on to a more serious relationship.
3. It is good for shy people. Being able to express who you are in the form of pictures, video messages and profiles means that you have time to think through what you want to say about yourself. Since sometimes it must be difficult for some people to express themselves in real life, they can try to be more confident on the sites.
The Cons
1. Many people may lie about themselves. Some online dating sites may not put too much attention about how accurate the information is provided by the users. People can just lie easily about themselves in an attempt to attract many people.
2. Many people put a lot of focus on physical appearances. In online dating, photos are very important as our first impressions towards others. No wonder people try their best to put the most attractive photos of them. Unfortunately, this may cause a kind of anxiety for some people who feel they are less attractive and make others miss them.
3. It can be dangerous. Although very helpful, the internet can be very risky for its users. So be very careful. You never know if the people you meet are real or not. Before you go online, know that it is very important to protect yourself. Never reveal your personal and private information, do not send money if somebody ask you to and always take precautions before meeting up in person.
The world with all its sophistication can indeed make everything look easy, such as the emergence of various online dating sites. However, we still have to be wise in using it. Because everything we do and find on the internet certainly has both advantages and disadvantages.
-Northern Ingo-
