Informational Page

 

Current criticism on the internet has a majority dealing with credibility. False identification and, manipulation play a big part in sometimes harmful occurrences that begin online. “Online daters have found firsthand that lasting romance can be forged online” (Madden, Lenhart). How can words take the form of an impression of a person?

Although these services claim to be notable and acclaimed there is no way for the sites to monitor the information put in the profiles of participants (other than pornographic pictures). A married, over weight, 57 year old man can fill out a profile that details him as an athletic 25 year old Medical student. Pictures can be found on Google image searches and entire lives can be fabricated.

I don’t think dating services can ever formulate a way to eliminate these factors which will always serve as an over riding down fall for online dating. Some 66% of internet users agree with the statement that online dating is dangerous because it puts personal information online. And 57% of internet users agree with the statement that a lot of people who use online dating sites lie about their marital status” (Madden, Lenhart).

 Mocking a somewhat “intimate” relationship has to be done by sharing information with each other and trying to feel understood by a “partner” that “cares” (Ellison). In my opinion this would only feed into a relationship that would convey a false trust. This can grow increasingly harmful because there is a good possibility people could reaveal these potentially harmful bits of information to people with the wrong motives.

I think online conversations go farther than those in person because people tend to reveal more than they would if they were more conscious of the reception.

“The relative anonymity of online interactions and the lack of a shared social network online may allow individuals to reveal potentially negative aspects of the self online (Bargh et al., 2002).” (As quoted in Ellison) “Verbal cues take over for the traditional non-verbal cues traditionally based on during dating”(Ellison). The more I dissect online dating I wonder can this really be considered “dating?” Can swapping emails and chatting on Instant Messenger compare to dinner and a movie?

Normal and healthy social interactions have been a part of human nature since the beginning of time, if online dating eliminates this I can’t be convinced it works out for the best. However, this is strictly my opinion. The new inovations of dating could truely become part of our growing cultural shift, conforming to what people truely want and feel works.