Online Dating

The development of technology and its influence on people, started changing aspects in society, including people’s ways of establishing relationships – romantic or not. With this development something called online dating started to appear. According to the Oxford Dictionary, Online Dating or Internet Dating is based on «using the Internet to arrange to meet someone and possibly begin a romantic relationship with them». Even though the majority of people have in mind using apps or sites to find their true love, not everyone uses it for the same purposes.

Some people use dating apps because they are shy or lack confidence and social skills. Other people find it amusing and use it just for the purpose of having some fun, meeting new people and making new friendships around the globe – which is easier and quicker nowadays, due to the portability of our devices. But most of the people on apps or sites like Tinder, Bumblebee and OkCupid are looking for long-term relationships or casual hook-ups.

Either with a serious relationship or just a casual one, we need to be aware of the risks and constrains of using these apps. The first red flag is the fact that in dating apps people choose to approach each other based on appearances and profiles that may not be showing the true self. Another problem related to this is placing private information such as phone numbers and home addresses, that may cause harm if it falls in the wrong hands. Another risk is the possibility of being manipulated or even threatened if we are not cautious. We don’t know what type of people are at the other side of our screen, and sometimes they mask themselves as nice people and they turn out to have a totally different personality. In this kind of relationships, the exchange of intimate photos and videos is very common, especially in long-distance relationships – that happen to be another red flag. If the relationship turns sour along with time, or if one partner doesn’t agree on some proposal, the other may threaten the first to get away with his desire.In conclusion, if we are thinking of dating online we might as well think about the risks it may bring, and probably try to work on our social skills – if that is the case – or simply stop looking and love ourselves, as the right person will appear with time.

Written by Inês Duarte