You know the old adage, ‘Too good to be true?’ Well in today’s online dating world it’s more often than not a crushing reality. People look good when you can’t see them, they sound great when you can’t hear them and they seem especially interesting when someone else is telling them what to say.
If online dating in the new rage, can we ever really be sure that who we’re seeing is actually who they say they are?
Because of my recent experience with a mostly virtual relationship, I for one can now vouch for the comfort and normalcy of what I had previously thought of as awkward and uncomfortable – face-to-face dating.
The numerous chat rooms and websites where individuals essentially advertise themselves are becoming the dating medium of the 21st century. An example of this is Facebook. Ahh… Facebook, the latest in a trend of online forums designed for individuals to showcase themselves and keep in touch with people. However, it is in essence nothing more than a cover for a free dating service. Profile pages that quickly sum up the ideal self, outlining interests and hobbies, most of which have been drawn from the latest edition of Cosmo’s “how to catch and keep a man” section, allow interested parties to skip the introductory phase of dating and simply set up a time to meet and hook up. Thereafter to either send an online relationship request or blocking said person from their friends list.
If you are not familiar with the more subtle mechanics of some of the chat rooms, be aware that confirming requests from one potential romancer could put the kibosh on the others. One click and your status as you know it can change forever; or at least until you delete it. Announcements that you are now part of a couple lead to friend requests from people you’ve never met all because of said attachment; in effect creating a network of strangers with next to nothing in common.
When the conversation is strained and the periods of non-communication are the best part of the so called relationship, we must admit that sometimes a hard drive just isn’t enough.
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