Online dating isn’t new. People have been meeting with help from the internet for decades. Still, not everybody tried it. If you’re among those who didn’t feel the need to look for any relationship online ever before, this article might change your opinion.
Depending on your previous experience with meeting single people online, you probably have an opinion about online dating, even if you never tried it. Regardless of your experience and opinion, you’ve surely noticed some pros and cons. We’ll explain them in detail below.
We’ll start with the cons of online dating because people who didn’t try it before focusing on the cons. That’s not a smart thing to do. There is no point in looking only at the negative sides when there are more positive than negative aspects of dating online. Let’s see those notorious cons:
free sites usually aren’t good - an average person who has never used online dating services usually looks for 100% free sites. In most cases, that leads to disappointment because those sites aren’t good enough. There are many reasons for that, but the obvious reason is that anybody can join without spending anything. Hence, scammers choose them more often than serious services. That means people who’re still learning how to date online form negative opinions a lot easier than they would on some legit site.
a lot depends on your location - even the best sites can’t do a lot for you if you’re living in an area without any other members. For example, if you’re living in the USA, you want to meet a like-minded partner near you, not somewhere in Europe. Of course, that’s true for most men and women, but there are still many people who don’t care if they meet people all around the world. Chatting is enough for some, others are willing to travel for love, so this con isn’t a con for everybody.
there are some fake profiles even on the best dating sites - it would be great if somehow all the petty people would stop joining to cause trouble. Even the best dating sites with amazing safety features aren’t protected against fake profiles. Those profiles aren’t bots because of the verification process on most serious sites. Those fake profiles are real humans who don’t have anything better to do than pretend they are someone else. Luckily, it’s possible to block and report suspicious profiles. Our advice is to do that whenever you aren’t sure if a profile is legit. The support team will check everything once you hit “Report”.
sometimes people look for love on platforms for casual dating - looking for long-term relationships on hookup sites won’t bring a lot of results. The same goes the other way around; you can’t expect to get hookups on sites specialized in marriage connections. Of course, some members join “the wrong category” on purpose to take advantage of other users. That happens more often on sites for serious dating.
Don’t let the cons of online dating scare you; there are a lot more pros. We’ll list them below, and you’ll immediately learn how to date online with minimum risks.
it’s easy to make new connections in your area or around the world - online dating is amazing because chatting with an unlimited number of people is possible. That means anybody can connect with like-minded singles. Some sites are local, some are global, so there is something for everybody.
it can change your life - connecting with other members can change your life on so many levels. The first and obvious reason is - you can meet a husband or wife there and spend the rest of your lives together. A lot of couples meet online and get married after some time. But that’s not the only change online dating can bring you. You can become more confident and even meet people who’ll help you in business.
there is always somebody to talk to - since online dating is so popular, there is always somebody on chat which means dating sites will erase the boredom out of your life
best online dating sites have blogs full of tips - blog articles on legit sites are goldmines. Even people who aren’t members visit them to learn about relationships and to get date ideas.
a great way to satisfy sexual needs - the rising number of members on sites for casual hookups shows that many people don’t care about internet dating pros and cons. They want to satisfy their sexual needs, and there is no simpler way than making a profile on some legit hookup site. And no, it’s not only for males. Many guys join, but just because a lot of women are joining such sites as well.
The advantages of online dating outnumber disadvantages, but showing negative statistics is important. That will protect you from unpleasant surprises. To show you that online dating works, we’ll list positive statistics as well.
We’ll start with something that you probably already know; people lie on their dating profiles. 57% of men and women lie about themselves. Those are mostly little lies such as a couple of inches more in height for men or less in width. Female members tend to lie about their age as well. Guys lie about their incomes. That’s a silly strategy because once you meet in person, all the masks fall. Our advice is always to be honest. It will bring you more happiness.
Ghosting is another negative aspect almost everybody goes through. According to the survey from 2019, 30% of people have ghosted potential romantical partners online. If you aren’t familiar with the term, the explanation is simple - when someone stops answering out of the blue. It happens all the time; it’s better to be prepared for it. Sometimes people chat with too many members, so they forget about some chats. You’ll do (did) that too as well. Just don’t take ghosting personally and forget about members who ghost you. Focus on those who’re happy to talk to you.
Positive facts about online dating are numerous:
47% of questioned men and women met a partner online or knew someone who did it
49% of Americans between 18 and 29 tried online dating
38% of middle-aged Americans are dating online
16% of seniors (55+) are looking for partners online
12% of users form a long-term relationship with someone they meet on dating sites
It’s obvious from the statistics above that anybody can meet somebody over the internet. All it takes is a bit of time and luck. Also, those numbers are more than a year old. A lot of new members have joined legit sites since then.
The negative aspects of online dating we listed above are something to keep an eye on. However, positive aspects are much wider and better, so thousands of people enter the colorful world of meeting partners on the Internet. Some even say it’s better than traditional dating. Is it? Find out below.
The only aspect where the traditional meeting of partners beats its online cousin is “the how we met stories” couples who meet in person have. Everything else leans to the modern approach that fits much better into the busy lives most of us live.
Going on dates without chatting first is exciting because you never know what to expect, but it’s very risky if you value your time. Not only can you chat with more people in one night on some site than you could do in 2 months in a bar, but membership prices cost less than a couple of drinks. Approaching singles in real life leads to paying for drinks, a lot of them. On sites for casual and serious relationships, you pay for membership once a month. At the end, that’s simple math; meeting potential partners online beats traditional every day of the week and twice on Sundays.
There is no better way to wrap everything up than listing 10 benefits of online dating:
meeting singles anytime, anywhere
chatting with an unlimited number of people at the same time
being among like-minded men and women
choosing between platforms for casual or serious relationships
choosing between local and international sites
more affordable than traditional ways of meeting people
good statistical chances to find a perfect partner
legit sites are 100% safe
the best online dating sites have blogs full of tips
