Did you know over forty million people have an online dating profile? Many people in the world at some point made an online profile on a dating website. Did you tell the whole truth on your profile? Or did you create a fake image of who you’re really not. Dating and meeting someone new is hard for many people. There are some people who feel the pressure of being single and turn to online dating as a reliable source of social interaction.
Even though online dating makes it easier to meet new people, it is killing the quality of relationships. People aren’t looking for love anymore; they are playing the game of love. Online dating users rarely show any commitment in the new people they date because they know a new date is right around the corner. Those users solely rely on a profile and a picture to try to learn about that potential partner. Men and women are finding it difficult to socially interact face-to-face and rather interact online behind the curtain. If there are any, what are the benefits of online dating?
Dan Stalter the author of the magazine periodical “A million first dates, how online dating is threatening monogamy” explains that the internet makes it easier for single people to meet other single people whom they might be compatible with (Slater 42). Slater then explains how many psychologists determine the strength of commitment in these online relationships. The first thing is if that person is satisfied with the relationship they are in, the amount of time and effort put into that relationship, and finally the quality of perceived alternatives (43).
With online dating becoming so popular technology is making it easier to meet a person on the fly. Slater explains that there is a phone application that can let you advertise your location and your desired activity. This allows you to meet anyone within a close distance of you. Will this become the future for interaction between people? We know that online dating gives you many potential partners, but what if some of those potential partners have you sign divorce papers in the end. Dan Winchester, founder of a free dating site in the UK states “The future will see better relationships but more divorce. He also says that when it comes to dating a lot people the thought of marriage becomes less likely. Mark Brooks an editor of onlinepersonwatch. com explains that fifty percent of singletons in the United States now use online dating. That is over forty million people (Jamieson 1).
With those forty million people, around twenty percent find long term romance. Online dating can be a great benefit if you use it the right way. “Pretending you look like Brad Pitt and lying about your income may get you lots of dates, but that is as far as it will get (Jamieson 2).
It is always better to be real and honest when creating your online profile. In other words don’t stretch the truth when it comes to creating a profile. “She was a completely different woman (Epstein 1). ” While online dating has its benefits it can also be a living lie. “Internet dating has made people more disposable. ” An Internet survey was taken to see what people really think of online dating. That was one of the thousands of responses from many internet users around the country (Slater 43) “Above all online dating has helped people of all ages realize that there is no need to settle for a mediocre relationship (43).
One of the biggest gambles you can make as a person looking for love on an online dating website is deception. Jeana Frost is a researcher from Boston University and The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and she concludes that twenty percent of online daters admit to deception. Those same people were then asked if they knew anybody that was lying about their online profile and that number jumped to ninety percent (Epstein 2). While many people lie about their height and weight, this is only one lie that can lead to more serious lies.
Studies show that the shorter and heavier a person is, the bigger the lies (2). Lying about your profile will only make the first face-to-face interaction a challenging one. Does the camera really add ten pounds or did you lie to me? About twenty years ago almost no couples met online; today it is the second most common way of finding a partner (Finkel 2). While you sit down and relax in your bed you can be browsing potential dates while others are trying to dress nice for company there about to have. “Online dating services have fundamentally altered the dating landscape (Finkel 2).
Finding your one true love online is now over a billion dollar industry and growing. An extensive survey was conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Projects. This survey concludes that sixty-six percent of internet users think that online dating is a “dangerous activity (Epstein 5). ” Going back to what Slater said earlier about people now having more commitment problems, about half of first marriages and two thirds of second marriages end in divorce. Online dating is making that statistic grow (Epstein 6). Overall the dangers of online dating are causing a drastic change in social interactions between people.
Men and women in today’s society are finding it more difficult to socially interact face-to-face. We will keep relying on the internet for many of our daily life tasks. Dating and meeting new people is a very big thing we do in our lives and having the internet take the hard work out is what everyone wants. We will start to see a lot more lazy people in this world and there won’t be anyone seeking a true relationship. What about online dating makes us get drawn in? What will be the relationship quality of the future? As time goes by the internet will be the ultimate decider of what’s the next step for relationships.
Work Cited
- Epstein, Robert. “The Truth About Online Dating. ” Scientific American Mind 18. 1 (2007): 8-35. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Mar. 2013.
- Jamieson, Valerie. “The Dating Game. ” New Scientist 201. 2695 (2009): 40. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Mar. 2013.
- SLATER, DAN. “A Million First Dates How Online Dating Is Threatening Monogamy. ” Atlantic Monthly (10727825) 311. 1 (2013): 40-46.
- Susan Sprecher, et al. “Dating In A Digital World. ” Scientific American Mind (2012): 26-33.
