Online Dating Pros and Cons List
As a single in today’s world, online dating is a vital tool for finding a relationship. There is a wide variety of options: from giants such as Match.com or eHarmony to niche players like Christian Mingle or Plenty of Fish. Furthermore, singles increasingly recognize that online dating is not an either-or proposition. Using online matchmaking to compliment in-person socializing can vastly boost your chances of meeting someone compatible. However, there are some downsides to online dating to consider before diving headfirst into the computer matchmaking world.
List of Pros of Online Dating
1. There Really Are More Fish in the Sea
When you limit your dating sphere to socializing in person, you have a finite amount of connections; whether it’s your college friends, colleagues, or other acquaintances, it can be hard to break out of your social circles to find others that you connect with.
Online dating solves this problem by casting the net wider, to include anyone near you. The compatibility algorithms can pair you with people you would not otherwise know, expanding your dating horizons if you cannot find the one for you in your existing social circles.
2. Less Pressure, More You
Many online daters point to online dating’s ease of use. Many shy singles have trouble initiating romantic contact in real life because they’re nervous about the response that they will get. When they use an online dating service, they are afforded more time and space to think about their impression.
They can demonstrate their charm and wit without the pressure of being put on the spot or being nervous. Even if you’re quick on your feet, the extra layer of separation and time can ensure your good qualities are highlighted in a way that you might not be able to do when meeting a stranger.
3. No Truly “Blind” Dates
One of the most awkward situations in the life of an older single is a really bad blind date. Although a friend may say that they have the perfect match for you, many combinations made this way do not often work out.
When using online dating services, the matches are much more informed. Users submit self-reported characteristics and are paired with people who share those interests. These matches and online conversations that pre-date the in-person meet up can help combat awkwardness by providing touchstones for conversation and an initial feeling of familiarity that can so often be absent on a blind date.
4. A Lot of Success Stories
At the end of the day, the use of online dating is up to the user. Some see it as cheating, as awkward, random, or impersonal. Others view online dating as an easy way to better express themselves and match them with an ideal partner. Your views on these questions will largely define whether online dating is right for you
However, in an increasingly interconnected world, there are many successes of online dating. One in five current relationships started on the internet. Many successful singles use online dating as part of a suite of tools necessary for finding love, along with socializing within their existing social circles. Upon realizing it doesn’t have to be an either-or decision, most use in-person dating and online dating in tandem to increase their odds of romance.
List of Cons of Online Dating
1. Making the Transition from Internet to Real Life
On the other hand, online dating can discourage you from pursuing relationships with people you already know. A tool such as Match.com, which removes the mystery of whether another person is interested, can make pursuing offline romance more difficult when the uncertainty is reintroduced.
Furthermore, online dating is not a cure-all; some online daters surf the eHarmony databases for hours without meeting anyone in real life. Online dating can unfortunately sometimes lead only to falling in love behind a screen.
2. Are They Really Who You Think They Are?
While the extra time and space allows some to reflect all of their best qualities, it can also make deception or exaggeration easy. Stories of outright lies are relatively rare, but slight fudging of height, weight, appearance or marital status only requires one mouse click.
Additionally, some people tend to misrepresent their interests and desires when selling themselves to an audience. It is easy to describe your ideal self instead of the person you actually are. This can lead to discord and awkwardness when meeting in real life.
3. Sometimes It Doesn’t Work, Though
Some people just cannot connect with someone through a computer screen, though. It is true that a chat-based conversation lacks many of the interpersonal cues that forge connections between people. Furthermore, some people act and interact very differently over the internet than they do in real life, which can lead to misrepresentations.
Some users feel that this can cause impersonal and random encounters, which share much of the awkwardness of the conventional blind date. Furthermore, if the two have little in common, it likewise would be hard to hit it off.
4. “Just Keep Looking” Syndrome
The giant pool of potential dating partners can be paralytic to some. It is easy to find small faults with an online profile and underestimate the effect that a person will have on you. Some users continue to nitpick and search, causing them to “just keep looking” for a potential partner rather than to dive in and try to initiate a relationship.
The positive effects of online dating can be nullified by the unwillingness to compromise on something but, with the increased size of the pool, many believe that they’re more able to find “the one” instead of trying their hand with someone.