Online Dating: Are these People Fact or Fiction?

Ashley Lokken
Central Campus Bureau Chief

    With technology growing rapidly every year, more and more people in society are participating in online relationships. New apps such as Tinder, Badoo, and Hot Or Not (just to name a few) make it exceptionally simple for people to intermingle. Some may say it is “easier” to meet people online then it is to meet them in-person, but the real question is whom exactly are you talking to? On the Internet, anybody can be anybody.

    I believe seeing someone in person carries more value. There, you witness their personality traits, habits, facial expressions etc. You can’t decipher those aspects as easily on the Internet. On the other hand, I do know some people that have met on the Internet and are still together after years. I am not implying all online relationships have a destructive outcome; instead, I am informing about negative events that can happen when meeting someone on the Internet, that way one is able to take certain precautions. According to the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, “only one in three people will report sexual crimes to a trusted adult.”

    I have come to a conclusion of what makes online dating so appealing and it’s the fact that one is able to get to know the person from the inside out, without seeing and judging the person’s appearance first. Numerous young people suffer from image distortion, causing them to be unconfident about the way they look. Online dating gives people a sense of comfort and security because of this.

    However, some people take that aspect to the extreme. If you have watched MTV’s hit television show “Catfish,” you would see that some people are so insecure, they actually change their appearance to make someone like them more. This is not difficult to do on the Internet; all it takes is to upload someone else’s picture that may appear to be “more attractive” and use it as their own picture. Simple as that. Despite its simplicity, this can be tremendously dangerous. Sex offenders can use this method to make themselves look younger and more attractive to invite young women or men in. You may think to yourself, “how could anyone be so gullible to fall for this?” The fact is, there are some very ‘gullible’ people out there looking to be loved.

    However, some people on the show “Catfish” do get lucky and the person they thought they were talking to turns out to be exactly that person. But the majority of people on the show end up talking to someone completely opposite of whom they expected.

    A few ways you can determine if the person is authentic is by asking them to Skype or use some sort of webcam program. If they make up excuses such as, “I don’t have a webcam,” or, “sorry I’m always so busy; I have no time to video chat,” chances are there is something sketchy going on with them. Another way to determine if the person is a fraud is if they ask you for favors such as sending them money or asking you to do strange tasks. Also, if you ask them to meet up and they have an excuse every time, you should be wary. These circumstances should bring up a red flag in your logic.

    If the person does agree to meet up, it is vital to remember to take someone with you or meet in a crowded place where you are visible for everyone to see, just incase. Young people are kidnapped all the time because they forget about these important precautions. According to a 2008 report by the Rochester Institute for Technology, “14 percent [of students in the 10th-12th grade] have accepted an invitation to meet an online stranger.”

    Another study from the Journal of Adolescent Health shows that the majority of Internet-initiated sex crimes against minors are initiated in chat rooms. “In 82% of online sex crimes against minors, the offender used the victim’s social networking site to gain information about the victim’s likes and dislikes.”

    There are actual, legitimate statistics showing that meeting people online can be unsafe. Therefore, forming online relationships is a risky endeavor, and it is extremely important to take the precautions listed above. Internet dating may be comfortable, but I would warn to not become too contented. As a society we need to be more aware of our youth and not hesitate to report something that doesn't seem right.