Just like with any other form of dating, online dating has stories of both successes and failures. The fact of the matter though is that more and more couples are meeting online and more people are using technology to meet people than ever before. I personally am all for meeting face to face and communicating that way as well. But in today’s society where we are all glued to our cell phones, dating through technology is something that you almost have to participate in.
Since online dating is becoming the norm now, let’s discuss some of the pros of online dating. One of the biggest benefits is that your pool of potential partners grows by a lot. Online you have the potential to meet and interact with so many more people than you would be able to in your everyday life (Finkel, E.J., et al.). Another beneficial pro is that many of these online dating sites with offer matching where they show you people you would best match with based on personality and interests. This eliminates all the time you would possibly be spending vetting people out in person. Of course the most obvious pro of online dating is that communication is so much quicker and easier online. You have the ability to stay in constant contact with people, as well as chat about things even when you are not face to face (Finkel, E.J., et al.).
Now just like there are pros to online dating there are also cons. One consequence is that with the vast number of people online it may take a person an incredibly long time to pick someone to start a relationship with. Instead they made spend their days simply window shopping for the perfect mate (Finkel, E.J., et al.). Another huge con is that on the internet a person may seem completely different from who they actually are in person. There are also a ton of people on the internet pretending to be someone else completely. At least in person you know what you’re getting when you see them. Lastly, when you communicate with someone online the experience is completely different than conversing in person. You are missing important conversation cues such as body language, eye contact, and tone of voice. Another issue is that people tend to hide behind their technology and when having to them communicate with someone face to face they may become incredibly reserved and feel as though they don’t know how to talk to the person (Finkel, E.J., et al.).
Overall there are many reasons to love or hate online dating. The fact of the matter is though that it is becoming a prominent aspect of our culture. So if you want to stay up to date you should probably give it a try.
References:
Finkel, E.J., Eastwick, P.W., Karney, B., Reis, H.T., & Sprecher, S. (2012). Online dating: A critical analysis from the perspective of psychological science. Psychological Science, 13(1), 3-66.