The upside to online dating
Internet Dating is one of those topics which always provokes controversy. Today, technology is consciously becoming a dominating aspect in our daily lives. Time is becoming a thing of precious value, so we use tech as an easy way of keeping in touch and up to date with current events and most conveniently; our social lives. Social Media has not only exposed us to fantastic ways of using technology, but new ways of connecting and meeting other people. Remember the days when Dating Sites were frowned so much upon that you’d most likely be shunned in conversation were you to bring it up? Now that we have actually begun to consider it, it’s becoming a more acceptable way of potentially meeting the love of your life. The Online Dating community seems to be linked mostly to young, single people who are either ‘discovering themselves’ or those who are unfortunate enough to be a victim of a classic prank, resulting most likely in a drastic identity change with a mentally scarring profile picture. But this form of meeting new people actually is exactly what some people need, rather than would casually desire.
As we all know, divorce is becoming much more frequent than marriage. Although this is a depressing thought in itself; this is where Online Dating comes into play. What about men and women that miss the company of a partner, or don’t have a lot of time on their hands who want to meet someone, but never feel like they have the opportunity? It’s the perfect mechanism for them to find happiness again. What if you’re fed up of your friendship group and you just want to meet someone you have more in common with? The profiles you set up as part of the system enable you to expose yourself as a person as much or little as you wish, allowing you to essentially attract the people who’d you get on with the most. The world’s expanding in so many ways, and there are so many new personalities to discover and opportunities to dive into. You may even learn some new things about yourself.
Though this concept is so easy to be dismissed, the pros of Online Dating should be more valued than the cons. As long as you’re of the appropriate age, are using it for the right reasons and are confident with doing it, why should you say no? With the huge variety of types of dating sites: ‘Mature’ dating, sites with a more flirtatious approach and serious sites – they all aim to match you with your ideal partner, whatever you’re looking for. There is undoubtedly something (or someone!) for everyone, and the minimal risk is worth diving in headfirst. You never know, you could actually meet the Australian hunk you’ve always dreamed of!
Alice Priestley
The downside to online dating
With phones, tablets and laptops playing the middle man in the fight to stay connected, it is no wonder that so many of us are now turning to internet dating sites in the search for “the one”. Many would call it efficient, filtered and filed by you, and in keeping with the digital age. However, like everything else, internet dating has its light and shade and is perhaps a little shadier than we would like to admit.
Ooops I caught a catfish – I’m pretty sure that we all know what a Catfish is thanks to the appropriately named American reality show “Catfish”. Amateur detectives aim to weed out the real from the fake on online dating sites as the detectives so often point out that, “Not everybody is who they claim to be”. You may think you’ve been exchanging romantic advances with a man boasting the wit of Stephen Fry, the pearly whites of Joey Essex and the charm of Ryan Gosling. When in reality he looks like Stephen Fry, is as witty as Joey Essex and isn’t like Ryan Gosling at all.
The search – Whatever happened to spontaneity being the fruit of love?
In my opinion the thrill of the chase is most definitely better in the literal sense and the online alternative just can’t be compared to the genuine article. Whether its the first exchange of awkward, (or if you’re feeling confident) sultry eye contact or the worry that you’re saying and doing everything completely wrong, it all helps to create a healthy appetite for love!
In real life, no matter how many times you rehearse your best pick up lines, you can never guarantee that a spanner wont be thrown into the works and it’s always interesting to try and dodge it on the spot even if unsuccessful.
Countdown – There is no guaranteed time in which you will find Mr or Mrs. Right. While the search for love doesn’t come with an expiration date, it does seem laborious to wait for what could take days, weeks, months or even years, years that you’re paying for as more times than none subscriptions to dating sites are not free. So why not look for “the one” on your day to day travels rather than investing your time and money waiting for a profile on page 22 of a dating search engine.
Lola Mosanya
