Dating used to be a tricky activity, often requiring us to go out to social places such as clubs and bars in order to meet new potential partners. Whilst going out is still a very widely used method, the modern technologies of the internet now make it much easier for us to meet new people. This has changed the dynamics of dating, but has it made it any better?
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Dating websites
The most popular ways to date now evolve around using dating websites, and those now come in many different niches. The most popular dating niche focuses on serious and committed dating, and is for people who are looking for a partner to spend the rest of their lives with. Those sort of websites allow us to create a profile and enter details which are more relevant to long-term commitment; such as our views on family and our ability to commit and provide to that family.
On the other side, some dating websites specialize in other types of dating, such as casual dating where people are looking to meet with short-term partners for a quick bit of fun. This approach to dating is a bit different and the criteria people base themselves on isn’t the same as people looking for serious relationships. In this situation, it is best for us to describe ourselves more intimately as it is more relevant to this specific type of dating.
Then there are other niches such as mature dating, which looks at bringing people in their later years together. For example, websites such as SingleAndMature.com specialize in people who are 40 years old and upwards and who are looking for a partner of their own age and situation. Using such website allows people to narrow down their search, and ultimately works out better for the different parties involved.
Pros and cons
The great thing about this diversity of different websites is that it allows us to search for love or fun in all the right places. What this means is that we no longer have to feel out of place for asking the wrong person the wrong question. We can now pick the right section of population who want the same thing we do, making it far less likely that we might get rejected. Bottom line is that those different websites allow like-minded people to meet up for something they both want to do.
Indeed there is less pressure involved in using the internet than there is when going out to meet new people. We get to do our research on our computers from the comfort of our own homes so we feel more comfortable and less pressured into doing things. Making decisions in those conditions allow us to use our brains rather than having our decisions being emotionally driven, which really helps us taking the time to find the partner which is right for us. As we get to talk to people online before we meet them, we have more time to figure them out so we are not going to hook up later with a total stranger.
However, online dating still comes with its risks, after all we are still looking to meet with people who we don’t really know. Sure we get to talk to them and exchange ideas online, but they could simply be lying to us. The best thing to do is to try to communicate via online video chat as it makes it much easier to tell if someone is acting a little bit off.
There are many people out there who simply lie about who they are, whether they are too insecure or whether they are just looking at scamming us. The best thing we can do is to share our dating activities with our friends or family, that way they can help us spotting is something is not right with our potential partners. After all, two pairs of eyes are better than just the one.
So is it worth it?
Dating has always had risks associated with it, and it can be argued that the internet makes the whole thing safer for the reasons previously explained in this article. Furthermore, this diversity of different dating niches can really help those of us who are in a specific situation, making it easier for us to have more success than we ever would in a mainstream dating scene that might just not be the right thing for us. Ultimately the best thing to do is to act safe and to stay level headed. By keeping our wits together and taking our time, we can make online dating a whole lot safer than it already is, avoiding us the ordeal of meeting up with the wrong people. The bottom line is that modern dating definitely works, but it can’t do all the work for us and as such we still need to provide the effort to make good things happen to us.