Should You Consider an Internet Romance?
Carly thought she would never find a partner suitable for marriage. She was uncomfortable with the singles scene at clubs and there seemed more married friends in her social circle than singles.
She had heard of internet dating and saw the ads, but had hesitated to take what she thought was a rather drastic and desparate step. What would it be like? How would she go about finding someone online? There must be lots of risks involved?
If you are in a similar situation then it's fairly likely that you've though about trying online dating to meet someone.
Contact with people is increasingly occuring through technology rather than face-to-face contact. What with mobile phones, webcams, texting, videophones and so on it's not surprising that millions are using online dating services to meet potential partners rather than waiting for a chance meeting.
Researchers have spent a lot of time analyzing the behavior of online daters, so what are their findings?
In a study reported on CBS News, 15% of Americans who have internet access have visited an online dating site. 27% of them were 18-29 year olds. Obviously internet dating is a popular way to meet people.
The same study indicated that as many as a third of unmarried internet users thought that online dating was a safe way of meeting people although 34% knew someone who had a bad experience.
In another study reported by BBC News, internet dating was seen by women as a way to feel empowered in relationships. The conventional inhibitions in face-to-face relationships were replaced by a more in-control attitude when given the anonymity of the internet. Could their chances of finding a perfect relationship be improved?
In the BBC interview Professor Helen Petrie was quoted as stating "There are people who lack interpersonal social skills and would find it very difficult to meet people in bars. They may find it easy to meet in an internet room, but they still have the problem of meeting them face to face and if they have gone too far with the internet relationship, they may find that traumatic."
In fact many ipeoples find that the anonymity of online dating encourages a certain amount of lying, either about appearance or about age. While some people always hide things at the start of a relationship, trying to project the best possible image, the internet makes it easier to hide aspects such as facial expressions, marital status, income and even criminal records. It has also been known for one's sex to be lied about!
Therefore, if, like Carly, you find that finding a relationship is difficult and are considering online dating, you would be wise to use caution and common sense.
Try to verify as much of the information that is given to you as possible, be careful what you say about yourself and ensure that you are accompanied on your first meeting, if at all possible.