Online Dating Vs Traditional Dating

The Difference between Online Dating and Traditional Dating Elizabeth Hill Com/170 08-01-2013
Elizabeth Olivares

The Difference between Online Dating and Traditional Dating Every day millions of single people share a common goal. They share the desire in finding a romantic life partner, someone with whom they can share their hopes and dreams, someone with whom they can grow old. Most singles date several people before they find their true loves. However, the way people date today has changed drastically with the use of the Internet. Although many people prefer online dating to the traditional dating approach, both can have safety, deception, and
time issues. Despite its challenges, online dating has become one of the fastest growing alternatives techniques of dating. According to Dr. Gregory Forge, “More than 60% of all Internet users spend about two or more hours each day looking for romance. In North American, about 10 to 30 million people have created an outline dating profile. There is no doubt single people are willing to try anything to find their romantic partner.” Many people prefer online dating because they can search quickly for available candidates.
From the collection of various people, they can then narrow their search to people who meet their specific criteria, and later, if the two people are not compatible, the dater can click a button and continue searching for the next candidate. While using the traditional dating method, they would have to waste time going on several dates just to realize they had wasted their time. The only disadvantage of the filter method is the competition the potential dater would encounter. For example, if someone were in a grocery store and decided to approach someone and ask for a phone number, they would have only a few minutes to evaluate that person and decide if they wanted to give their number to them or not, asking themselves if this is someone they would date. However, if they were to meet online, and share e-mails back and forth, then asking for a number would not be as risky because they would more than likely have compared them to the other emails they had recently received and would think to themselves, “Is this a possible Mr. or Mrs.
Right?” Internet users and online daters both suspect that many people are dishonest about their marital statuses on dating websites. In his article, “The Truth about Online Dating, “ Robert Epstein shares survey research conducted by media researcher Jeana Frost of Boston University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: “Quite a bit of Internet users agree that people who use online dating lie about their marital status; 57 % agree that many people lie, 18 % disagree, and 25 % say they do not know. Those with lower levels of income or education are more likely than the average Internet user to suspect that people lie.” In addition, about 20 % of online daters admit to deception. If they ask them how many other people are lying, however, an interviewing tactic that probably gets closer to the truth, that number jumps to 90 % (p. 31). Interestingly, misrepresentation comes in many forms and for different reasons.
Some forms and levels of misrepresentation are acceptable by daters, while others are perceived as a nuisance. The most common lies are about age, marital or parental status, appearance, income, or profession. Misrepresentation is also very common practice in face-to-face encounters. For instance, during a job interview, or while on a date, people seek acceptance and try to portray themselves as socially accepted models, and with what the people are looking for, based on the feedback that they get from the interaction. Studies show that relational goals are strongly linked to misrepresentation. Those who are looking for serious long-term relationships are less inclined to lie on their profiles. A dating website that charges a certain amount for its services is most likely to gather members with relational goals looking to truly find lifelong
partners. While online dating has become relatively common, a large portion of Americans still do not believe that the practice itself is safe. Unlike traditional dating that generally protects people’s personal information, using an online dating site, like any other form of social networking, requires users to share personal information about themselves on the Internet. This adds a certain level of vulnerability at a time when safety is harder than ever to ensure. The safety of dating websites is additionally in question because of the relative ease with which users are able to deceive potential partners. A study investigated questions of safety and victimization experiences related to online dating versus more traditional forms of dating. The deception of online dating has become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon, spawning both movies and an entire television show (Catfish on MTV) dedicated to deciphering whether online partners are representing themselves accurately (Jerin & Dolinsky, 2001). Traditional dating safety tips that women should always keep in mind are: 1. Take your car to meet your date at the restaurant or movies. 2. Do not leave your drink unattended, especially in places such as bars. 3. Always tell a friend where you are going for your date. 4. Tell people the name and contact information for the person you are out with. 5. Have a “safe phrase” in case of danger. 6. Do not go back to the home of your date. 7. Do not allow your date to know where you live. 8. Carry maze or a knife. (Salmon) The reason they will want to meet their date at the location of choice is so that they do not become trapped in a potentially dangerous situation. Telling a friend or two exactly where they will be on their date, the contact information of the person with whom they are going out, a picture of the person, and an estimated time of when they should be expected home is an ideal way to make sure that appropriate help can be given in the event they do not return home as expected. By taking these few precautionary dating tips, they will be sure to be safe and secure with all of the dates with people they barely know. Although online dating and traditional dating are both very much used, they each have safety issues, deception issues, and time issues, so people would have to be very careful either way in the dating scene. There is not one better than the other. When looking for love, anyone can all be blind-sided.

References
Epstein, R. (2007, March). The truth about on-line dating. Scientific American Mind, 28-35. Retrieved from http://www.sciammiand.com
Forge, G. (2007, March). The ethical implications of the internet. Sociology, 61(1), 135-150.
Jerin, R., & Dolinsky, B. (2001). Youve got mail! You dont want it: Cyber-victimization and on-line dating. Criminal Justice and Popular Culture, (9), 15-21.
On-line dating -tips on how to date safe. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.e-zinearticles.com