Online Dating

        I think that at one point in time or another, we have all checked out online dating. The problem is how online dating is defined. I personally wouldn’t restrict online dating to sites such as Match.com or eHarmony. I know plenty of people that met, and started relationships via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; these sites have a primary use other than meeting a future boyfriend or girlfriend. This is an important point to remember because it shows us that we aren’t just restricted to today’s traditional dating sites. 

         I’ve always looked at online dating in a taboo sort of way. We all know it exists, and so many people seem to meet on these sites, but who? Fortunately enough, my girlfriend’s mom and her boyfriend met over online dating. They knew each other before hand, and the site helped bring them together. Luckily, because they knew each other before meeting, some of the  stress and tension was reduced. Others aren’t as fortunate. Guadagno, Bradley, and Kruse report that men are more forthcoming on dating sites than women in most cases (Guadagno, Bradley, & Kruse). This is important when determining who uses these sites more for serious online dating. I could put forth a hypothesis that states that women are more likely to use dating sites as a casual way of “messing around”, and not exactly for obtaining any type of actual face-to-face relationship. Guadagno et al. also state that an individual of either sex is more likely to present a fabricated version of themselves to give off a certain impression (Guadagno, Bradley, & Kruse). I know from personal online experience that I strictly put things up that only help my personal image. Additionally, we all know people who are constantly posting about how amazing their lives are. We talked about similar situations in class; most people who seem the happiest online actually end up being the people looking for the most reassurance in relationships and possibly even in themselves. 

This can all be tied back to online dating because we are always looking for verification that we’re good looking, wanted, and generally desired by other people. I learned a lot through our exercise that online dating has a lot of factors that play into being matched with another person. I personally find it difficult to gain enough interest in a single person based solely on the amount of information they reveal online. In my experience, one girl responded to a question about drugs; the possible answers were yes, yes, but just soft drugs like pot, and no. She said yes, but how could I possibly know the context of her answer without speaking to her? Personally, I am not into girls who do drugs, but she could have been matched with me. However, because of her response, she should have been automatically eliminated. For me, this presents an issue as far as multidimensional matching processes.

All in all, it’s important to remember that all the people you meet online for the most part are real people. Responses can be misleading, and so can online conversation due to the noise involved in the mediums used. I would say that it’s important to be cautious but also open when trying to meet someone online.