Negative Consequences of Online Dating Sites

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Introduction

Recent technological advancement has greatly influenced the way people communicate and interact. Online communication is now becoming a trendy way of passing information. Having noticed this new mode of interaction, some developers have decided to take the opportunity of this new form of interaction and developed dating apps that enable people to find dating partners with a click of a mouse easily. Most of these apps have been a great success since they solve the social pressure associated with meeting a new person for the first time. Introverted people and those who lack proper communication skills frequent these sites in an attempt to find potential dating partners. Dating apps are easy to open and use, making many people frequent them. Some of the most popular sites today include; Tinder, Bumble, Plenty of Fish, Love it Out There, and the days of blind dates. People use dating sites since they are easily accessible due to the advancement of technology; however, these platforms have numerous consequences.

Why Do People Use Online Dating Sites?

Technology

Almost all people agree that the growth of online dating to meet new potential partners has been influenced by telecommunication advancements. Johnson et al. (2017) support this argument by pointing out that The growth in online dating is due in part to the advancement and adoption of new technologies (p. 60). The convenience that comes with this new technology and the reduction of the hustle of having to get out has been a big motivation for people to join these applications. Moreover, it has become a habit for many people to remain at home with their phones in the past few years. This intensified in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with technology and dating apps becoming the only way for people to achieve romance, as portrayed in media referred to as romance plots (Portolan & McAlister, 2022). Thanks to technology, dating apps are becoming the preferred means of meeting and hooking up with potential mates. This trend is more likely to increase as algorithms continue to improve and link compatible people.

They are Shy or Introverted

Regardless of their personality traits, many people have benefited from online dating platforms. Kreager et al. (2014) observe that over the past decade, online dating has become a highly visible form of mate selection (p. 388). The shy and introverted people who like to remain calm, stay in solitude and avoid awkward situations have benefitted the most. When interviewed, people categorized as introverted or neuroticism said they feel more confident interacting online than in face-to-face situations (Pernokis, 2018). Studies have shown that shyness has been a significant reason people join dating sites, especially shyness associated with younger women who want to date older men and older men who wish to date younger women (Johnson et al., 2017). Shyness has also been associated with using other social media platforms and thus can be safely agreed to be a primary reason people use online dating.

They Belong to a Certain Minority Group

Heterosexual relationships are more acceptable in most societies, unlike other forms, such as those that belong to LGB communities. For people who belong to gay communities going out and meeting potential mates in a population in which they are the minority could prove to be a hard task. However, with just a few settings on their dating apps, they could easily have their potential mates sorted out from a large, mostly heterosexual group. For this reason, more than half of the members of the LGBTQ community use dating sites (Conway et al., 2015). Unique applications have been set out that only serve the LGBTQ community. One of these apps is Grindr, which is dedicated to gay men and enables them to chat easily, evaluate potential mates and pursue inmate encounters with them (Johnson et al., 2017). Homosexual men and women have a greater chance of finding mates online due to their more broadened age category than heterosexual ones (Conway et al., 2015). For these reasons, people who belong to the LGB communities frequent dating services more than other populations.

Consequences of Online Dating

Catfishing and Scamming

Online dating, however, comes with its fine share of blemishes. One of the most significant disadvantages facing this form of dating is scamming, often executed through catfishing. This type of scam is executed by a person impersonating another person by using their pictures and social media profiles (Whitty, 2013). This type of deception is relatively new and is closely related to online impersonation and phishing (Simmons & Lee, 2020). Although some people who do this impersonation do it for fun, many of them are scammers who seek to take advantage of these web applications. Those seeking to make financial gains through these dating sites use the scammers persuasion technique model, where they follow a series of well-laid steps before finally scamming their targets (Whitty, 2013). Catfishing makes many people avoid applications and puts this form of dating at risk of total failure.

Communication Challenges

Conveying information in person and online communication are significantly different due to their nature. While traditional face-to-face communication allows a person to see the other person and gauge their emotions and feeling using non-verbal cues, online communication is more rigid, often relying on texts. Although advancements continue to be made, such as video calls, it is still hard to express feelings and emotions through online dating platforms (Smith & Duggan, 2013). Since texts are the most common way to share information on dating sites, they lack interactivity, and the question-and-answer way of communicating makes the process feel like an inquiry session (Ferri et al., 2020). Regardless of its lack of emotions, online dating has positively affected those who consider it to be useful (Sullivan et al., 2020). It should be noted that recent technological advancements which allow efficient video communications have to a large degree, helped solve this problem.

Conclusion

Dating sites are popular today since they are easy to open, and there is enough technology to support them and helps shy people express themselves, but they come with their fair share of negative consequences. The sites continued to become more popular with each technological improvement and were mainly catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The sites benefit all people, particularly those whose way of dating is not very acceptable, the shy, and those with difficulty finding partners. Unethical practices such as catfishing are popular on these sites, with scammers using all techniques to gain financial gains from subscribers. Miscommunication is common when texting online, but the recent access to video calls is mitigating this challenge.

References

Conway, J. R., Noe, N., Stulp, G., & Pollet, T. V. (2015). Finding your Soulmate: Homosexual and heterosexual age preferences in online dating. Personal Relationships, 22(4), 666-678.

Ferri, F., Grifoni, P., & Guzzo, T. (2020). Online learning and emergency remote teaching: Opportunities and challenges in emergency situations. Societies, 10(4), 86.

Johnson, K., Vilceanu, M. O., & Pontes, M. C. (2017). Use of online dating websites and dating apps: Findings and implications for LGB populations. Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness, 11(3), 60-66.

Kreager, D. A., Cavanagh, S. E., Yen, J., & Yu, M. (2014). Where have all the good men gone? Gendered interactions in online dating. Journal of Marriage and Family, 76(2), 387-410.

Pernokis, D. (2018). Dating life experiences: An exploratory study of the interrelationships between personality, online dating and subjective well-being.

Portolan, L., & McAlister, J. (2022). Jagged Love: Narratives of Romance on Dating Apps during COVID-19. Sexuality & Culture, 26(1), 354-372.

Simmons, M., & Lee, J. S. (2020). Catfishing: A look into online dating and impersonation.

In Ahmed, S. L., Irshad, H.O., Demirel, I. Y. Tumer, and Duffy, V.G. (eds.) International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (pp. 349-358). Springer, Cham. Web.

Sullivan, K. T., Riedstra, J., Arellano, B., Cardillo, B., Kalach, V., & Ram, A. (2020). Online communication and dating relationships: Effects of decreasing online communication on feelings of closeness and relationship satisfaction. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 37(8-9), 2409-2418.

Smith, A. W., & Duggan, M. (2013). Online dating & relationship. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center.

Whitty, M. T. (2013). The scammers persuasive techniques model: Development of a stage model to explain the online dating romance scam. British Journal of Criminology, 53(4), 665-684.

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