Introduction:
Online dating is a new emerging concept of the 21st century, which is attracting a huge number of the young people of the modern generation. The online dating involves dating or mingling with people over the internet where the people introduces themselves to new people and develops personal connections over the websites (Smith and Duggan) . They connect with the people with the aim to develop different forms of romantic or sexual relationships. The concept of online dating is to spend time with the specific people of personal choice in the hopes of getting involved in committed relationships. However as per the views of the general public, that the online dating sites and the applications possess a threat to the privacy of the real identity, the essay negates this and establishes the fact that the benefits of online dating over rule the risks and is safe to use.
Body:
According to Potarca and Melinda, in the age of digitalisation, the online dating has grown and developed into the best option for the young bachelors to develop their relationships. It has a lot of benefits due to which it has turned to be less of a taboo and more of an acceptance. The dating applications and the websites allow the people to create a profile and browse through the profilesof the other gender. This process is quick and it is extremely easy to start and find a match. The profiles can also be linked with the other social networking sites such as Facebook and Instagram for better connection (Wilson, Proudfoot and Valacich). The profiles can even be polished and made attractive so that its easier to win the connections over. In accordance with this, Jung et.al., says that the dating sites are extremely affordable. Going on physical dates and meet-ups can be costly since it allows the people to pay over their restaurant bills. Moreover, there is no such guarantee that the young couples who meet on physical dates will click together. Thus spending the hard earned money on someone who is not special are not meaningful. According to the discussion by Gavin et.al., the dating websites on the other hand, offer membership that is free. These websites allow the eligible singles to give themselves a try, by joining the network free and get acquainted with other people. The variety of the people that one meets in these websites are quite large. It gives the options of millions of people out of which they have the opportunity to choose and select. On contrary to this, the clubs or the parties allow very few people with whom the singles can have a conversation with, or connect (Smith and Duggan). Moreover, it excludes the social problems, and the singles can judge whether the person they are talking to over the internet are actually dating or flirting, this option is not in the case of the social gatherings. This is supportive of the thesis statement, that states that the dating sites are actually private. As stated by McWilliams and Barrett, they allow the people to talk privately over the internet and they even do have the time to decide whether they are actually interested in one another or not. Online dating is also very feasible since it takes lesser time and saves time instead. Physical or social meetings require pre planning, of the venue, of the attire that must be attractive, along with the journey to the destination. Online dating applications on the other hand allows the singles to talk to their special ones in their house apparels, staying at home. It requires no extra efforts.
In accordance with the above benefits, the online dating sites also allows the singles the opportunities to be specific about their needs. They can put in their preferences with which they can choose their man or woman, based on their needs. The people can find a proper balance between what they need and what they demand. In this manner , there would be a common ground that could be established with a person. Since the online daters share their information, it is easier for them to break the ice over the internet, which is a bit difficult in the social meetings. The common preferences and the desires or hobbies allow them to begin the conversation without any difficulty (Smith and Duggan). Moreover the online dating process is much less stressful than the offline ones. In these websites the single bachelors are in total control over their matches, their conversations as well as their time,. It is very easy to handle the online websites as it caters to their needs and interests. it also has tools such as liking a profile or reacting to it. Also the online dating sites have a number of help pages, and customer service helpline that operates 24/7 (Wiederhold). It also has the facility of encryption technology that prevents the scammers from enrolling into the website. There are even buttons that have the ability to block the abusive members. The sites also check the background of the people who enrol into the websites, thus making the process safer than the random meetings at the bar or the restaurant with a stranger.
Apart from all the benefits that online dating sites have in itself, there are associated risks that prevent a lot of users to venture it out. Most people step backwards thinking that falling in love cannot be over the internet. Most importantly the major threat that the online dating websites have, is that of identity theft (Hallam et.al.). While speaking to strangers over the internet, people tend to share their personal information such as their phone numbers, addresses, or birthdates. This becomes easier for the other person to steal their identity and use it elsewhere. According to the statistics, there are cases where more than 25 percent of the rapist join the online dating sites just to find their victims (Whitty). Most often the online dating sites are used by the scammers and the sec offenders. This makes the online websites less trustworthy. Whitty also discusses that anyone and everyone can join the free online dating websites. There are people who join the dating sites and create fake profiles just to enjoy. This brings us to the ethical issue of the dating websites. Statistics have showed that there are almost 16 thousand cases of murders and thousands of incidents of rapes that have been initiated by the free dating websites (Cali, Coleman and Campbell). Most of the fake profilers intend to have sex on their first date that they meet online and it can be risky (Wada Clarke and Rozanova). There are often cases where the online dating sites are being used by the people who are already married or are in serious commitments. Thus the utility of the dating websites lose its gravity since they are often been used just to have fun. The singles often tend to engage themselves emotionally with the people with whom they begin to talk and the future rejection begins to take a toll on their mental health and emotional trust (Cali, Coleman and Campbell). Most often the people tend to lie about their personality and portray a different person who is exactly opposite to him or her thus playing with other people’s minds and heart. There can be cases where the singles have found their Mr. Perfect over the online websites but it is wrong if they go by the experience of the others. The most prominent victims of the online dating apps are children and the teenagers. They often tend to involve themselves into activities such as talking to people in the chat rooms, which has an impending risk over them since they do not the difference between the good and the bad and easily fall into such traps. Apart from all these there are health risks associated with the online dating sites, such as sexually transmitted diseases, which are incurable and are fatal. With multiple dating and intimacy, there can be possible health problems which do not have proper treatment (Roth and Gills).
Conclusion:
Thus from the above discussion it can be concluded that the online dating sites have risks indeed but the benefits over rule the dangers on the dating over the internet. In spite of the stories of privacy issues in the online dating websites, it keeps the users safe because it has a number of security measures. They have the facility to block the members who behave unruly and even have the customer help service available. Thus it is one of the safest medium for the young singles to venture out their relationships and to get involved into special acquaintance. Online dating sites are fun to use, as well as the relationships and the marriages do work out, since it helps the people to select their match and their better half with the individual preferences and choices.
Works Cited:
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