Online Dating: Why to Stay Away
In a world where everything is based on technology, it is no big surprise that dating has been moving to the internet. Using the internet to find a potential match has made dating easier, but it also is something to stay away from because dating websites are full of lies, predators, and misrepresentations. The popularity of Internet dating sites has added to this new way of getting to know someone. Nowadays, you can find dating websites for almost any interest. Whether you are just looking for a casual relationship, or have some specific spiritual, lifestyle, or other need, there is someone out there for you who is just a few mouse clicks away. And for those with few social skills it is an ideal way to get to know people. So, with all the great dating sites online today, it has become easier than ever to find someone. The only good thing about these types of sites is that they put courtship back into relationships and give a couple opportunities to get to know one another before physically meeting. All technology has its advantages and disadvantages; dating websites are no different.
One reason that online dating is a horrible idea is because both women and men tend to misrepresent themselves to their potential matches on dating websites. Misrepresentations are pieces of information that a person changes a little bit in order to make themselves seem more attractive to a potential match. In a study done by Jeffery T. Hancock and Catalina Toma with Cornell University, it was discovered that things such as adding a few inches to a height and subtracting a few pounds from a weight are very common misrepresentations that are seen on dating profiles. This isn’t always done maliciously, but with the hopes that the person the profile belongs to is “interesting enough that they [potential matches] will overlook it” (McCarthy, 2011, p. 156). While misrepresentations are abundant in the social world, they also indicate that a person...