The perils of dating in the digital age

Before the advent of mobile phones and the rise of social media, dating was a personal endeavor. You met someone, you were interested in them, you went out on a few dates, and ultimately you either built a relationship together or went your separate ways. Today, technology has made it possible to connect with people beyond your neighborhood, city, and even country. Yes, the Internet and personal technology have made it easy to connect with others quickly. The modernization and digitizing of dating is not without its perils, though.

Methods of modern love

Finding modern love has become a matter of where to search and how. Though it would seem to take the personal element out of dating by putting profiles and matches at your proverbial fingertips, online dating offers you the chance to screen a prospective date quite thoroughly before you meet or even speak to one another.

In the past twenty years, online dating sites have exploded, and today more than a hundred sites are available. Some are general dating sites, while specialty sites geared toward specific religious groups, ethnicities and even age groups have blossomed as the general population becomes savvier with the online dating process.

The process of online dating has expanding and advanced considerably over the years. Simple profiles have been replaced by complex and multi-question profiles that sites such as eHarmony.com feature. Online dating sites have become more scientific in many ways, offering you a carefully analyzed profile of perspective dates, and matching you to people with similar values, interests and future goals.

Social media connections

Social media sites have brought a whole new dimension to the online dating scene. Sites such as Facebook and Twitter offer more of a traditional approach in many ways, eschewing the matchmaking profile for a personal profile created by you. These sites are not meant strictly for dating, so the opportunity to connect with people in a variety of contexts, from friendship to networking, simulates a real-world environment more realistically. The immediacy of these sites, and the easy access to individuals through chat and site apps, make social media a close approximation to the more traditional ways of meeting people and making dates.

Online dating dangers

While the Internet has opened up numerous opportunities for you in the business and personal aspects of your life, it has also made us all very vulnerable to fraud of varying sorts. Online dating is not immune to these dangers, and being prepared for them will help you to use the medium more safely and successfully, whether for casual dating or matchmaking.

Online dating profiling relies on the honesty of the person completing the profile. While many men and women looking for companionship are committed to being honest about themselves, both in word and image, there are still many others who have no scruples about posting false information, old pictures or even pictures of completely different people, in order to lure in the unsuspecting.

Foreign women seeking American boyfriends and husbands may seem like a stereotypical example of online dating and matchmaking, but the industry is an extensive one. While many Eastern European women are genuinely looking for opportunities in love and marriage, some people have used this very real desire to their own advantage. So how do you know? Is your single Baltic lady search genuine or is it a scam? Well, a little research can yield a wealth of information about the authenticity of a particular dating site, including whether they ask for money and whether they utilize automated replies both signs of a less-than-reliable site.

But the good news is…

While the negatives of online dating are often dwelt-upon, there is a positive side to finding love in this digital age. Online dating has made it possible for even the busiest and most isolated of individuals to find potential partners. No matter your interest, orientation, lifestyle, religion or political leaning, you can connect directly with people who share your view of the world. Online access also allows you to plan meet-ups more effectively, altering them right down to the minute if necessary.

The matching process is also one of the greatest positives about online dating. Using psychological profiles and detailed questionnaires, like sites such as eHarmony and Match.com do, gives you the opportunity to be matched up with individuals that share your values and point of view, eliminating some of those issues that can quickly destroy a potential relationship before it even starts.

Online dating has changed the landscape of singlehood in a momentous way. As technology continues to advance and expand, you will find many more single men and women taking the step to craft an accurate profile and step out into the virtual world of dating with a confident eye on future success.