Why Dating Apps?
Online dating app is a quick and easy way to meet new people through the internet. Some people depend on online dating because it can be a good way to get yourself out there without stress; however, online dating can be a pain and confusing. I was interested in online dating apps because some of my friends and acquaintances were using it. I am someone who is shy and it is hard for me to approach someone and ask them on a date, so I thought I would give online dating apps a try! As an amateur who just started using online dating apps for 5 months, I have concluded that it is not always rainbows and sunshine. I met with 4 guys in the span of the five months through an app called Tinder, and they have all been awkward and left me in confusion and uncertainty. After reevaluating my tinder meetups, I realized that I could have put myself in dangerous situations by being so trusting. More people are exposed to online dating and is accepted by the majority. Online dating is used by millions of people all over the world, and I wanted to take it upon myself to explore the upsides and downsides of it. Like everything on the internet, there is always the good, the bad, and the ugly. While online dating websites and apps are convenient and easy to use, there are many problems people may face if they decide to use these apps.
Catfish
Meeting people through online dating apps could be challenging because you never really know who the person is, just how they present themselves in their 500 character limit biography and five best pictures of themselves. There is no surprise that there are many catfishes on these dating apps, which is why you must be careful and do your homework on the person you’re matched with. Alice Hines shares her tinder experience about a guy she matched with faking his persona in her story, “My Tinder Date Lied. Was I The Creep?” Hines writes, “Dating profiles can border on fiction. People edit away their pimples and crop out their exes, making it hard to know what’s real and what’s fantasy. It’s why you should research your date, and stalking is O.K. That’s what I learned hunched over my laptop at 2 a.m., 26 browser tabs deep.” Hines shares her story about the guy she met on tinder telling her lies about himself, and she came to this conclusion through research about him. To be safe, when you match with someone through an online dating app, you should do further investigation on the person to make sure they are really who they say they are. Not only does this make meeting your match a lot safer, but you will not be a victim of catfish! It is no surprise that the person you match with may look a little different in person than in the picture, but there is a difference about fabricating and stealing someone else’s picture and pretending to be someone they are not. This can be dangerous because if someone is faking their identity it probably means they have no good intentions in the first place. Once you make sure this person says who they are, fingers crossed that your relationship works out; however, not all dates will work out and you may be left confused with no answers.
Ghosting
People disappear without warning and it is hard to read people’s mind if there is a lack of communication in the relationship. One of the biggest problems in online dating culture is when you think the other person is invested or interested in you, and the next they are silent then delete you. You, my friend, have been ghosted. And if you have never been a victim of being ignored without any explanation then you may have been the ghoster. Some experts will argue that this is not the only way to let the person know you are interested in. Jazmine Hughes an editor for the New York Times Magazine gives different advice on how to reject an online match. In the article “How to Reject an Online Suitor” Hughes writes, “Make it genuine — something like “This has been a great conversation but …” or “You seem like a really cool person but …” can be effective. Avoid treacle, though, so as not to sow confusion about your intentions.” Keep it simple and be direct. The great thing about online dating is you can tell them about you genuinely feel with less anxiety, so be honest and communicate with your words. Be mature and do not take the easy way out by ghosting someone or leave them without any closure.
Be Cautious
These are just some of the common problems you may face when you join the online dating scene. However, there are more serious and dangerous instances that some people may experience. No doubt that online dating apps have its perks, but there are both minor and serious situations you could get yourself tangled in! So before you plan on using dating apps, make sure you are safe and do your research on the person before you agree to start a relationship with them!
Works Cited
Hines, Alice. “My Tinder Date Lied. Was I the Creep?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Oct. 2018, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/09/30/us/stalk-dates-online.html.
Hughes, Jazmine. “How to Reject an Online Suitor.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 7 Feb. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/02/07/magazine/how-to-reject-an-online-suitor.html?rref=collection%2Fbyline%2Fjazmine-hughes&action=click&contentCollection=undefined®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection.
