Taking love online
‘I enjoy sunsets, long walks on the beach, movie nights, midnight car rides, kissing in the rain, and finding my lovers online.’ Millions of users are frantically typing up short descriptions of themselves on their online dating profiles, hoping to draw the attention of a compatible partner.
Recently, in the younger generation, there has been an increase in Tinder usage. The free-to-download cell phone app has recently taken the dating world by storm with its simple “swipe left, swipe right” style, allowing people to match up with others around them based solely on their looks. Badoo has also risen up as a commonly used application, as well as various other programs such as OkCupid, Zoosk, and Coffee Meets Bagel.
However, many agree that there are often many dangers when chatting online to someone who could easily pretend to be someone they are not. Individuals sometimes use fake photos and inaccurate descriptions to fool other users.
Singles using these websites and applications run the risk of getting “catfished,” or being drawn into a relationship with someone who is lying about their identity or even their gender.
“Anyone can type something over the Internet and then be completely different in person;” senior Annie Lober said, “you can’t really read a person completely by the way they text.”
Many people have their shortcomings about finding love online. Some believe that it would be better to have relationships built offline, unaided by matchmaking programs.
“I think it’s better to get to know someone in person, they might have something about them you don’t know yet,” senior Jazymine Escalante explained, “and that can be scary.”
A magazine published by Match.com, a popular dating site, released statistics revealing that roughly 40 million Americans have taken to creating profiles online, sharing a short blurb about themselves in hopes that they will be matched with another profile and introduced to a stranger with similar interests.
Some singles believe that online dating is a way to jumpstart the rest of their lives and find someone to marry and create a family with. However, in high school, this outlook is not always applicable.
Senior Sam Temes provided his opinion by saying, “I always thought high school was a time for people to meet each other and that’s how they kind of form relationships rather than meeting online.”
The stigma of online dating is fading; according to the Pew Research Center the majority of Americans now believe it to be a positive way to meet other singles whereas ten years ago the idea of dating online was slightly taboo and strange.
“I think if you tell someone you’re dating online, they kind of assume that you’re desperate but that’s not always the case;” said Temes, “sometimes it’s just because you want to find someone compatible and there’s a bunch of ways to match people online.”
We are living in the new age of dating, with technology filtering into every relationship through social media and text messaging. Now, it is simply a common practice to use that technology to create a bond between two individuals looking for love.
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