In today’s blog post, I am going to continue on with the discussion of online dating and maintaining online relationships. The information provided in this assignment is specific to an article I discovered titled, “Love In the Age of Digital Media: What drives Millennial Affection For Dating Apps.” Researchers have been asking numerous questions similar to this one since the obvious increase in the importance of technology from past to present. In researcher findings, they have discovered that the internet may become responsible for the “end of courtship.” Websites such as Tinder, Grindr, and Facebook are substituting what would have been a game of Spin the Bottle, or 7 minutes in Heaven. The New York Times proposed a thoughtful rebuttal stating that, “the gamification of the dating and mating scene was simply old pick-and-choose impulses dressed up in new technology.” In other words, courtship has not ended but instead is mediated online. With the convenience and comfort of technology there has been an increase in people seeking courtships online opposed to face to face. Exchanging information constantly online has aided in the normalization of self-disclosure to strangers, and also generating a new sense of trust. As with anything there are many pros and cons to the online dating fad. The pros included things such as convenience, and accessibility. Software programs such as Skype and ooVoo, make it possible for those who are committed to long distances relationships to feel connectivity with their partners. Technology and the internet have also made it possible for people to bring whoever they are communicating with their day. It is as simple as opening up an app on a smart phone and pressing call or chat. Although the pros sound great, the cons are important to be taken into consideration. Some cons include an increase opportunity to deceive others (deception), come in contact with stranger danger, and experience a lack of physical interaction.
Many online users find that the internet is a safe haven for them. They have the ability to be who they want to be without the insecurities that comes with them. Often online, we portray ourselves in the light of our choice. This is a concept we discussed in class referred to as self-disclosure. In my opinion, it is a way of advertising who you are as a person, and as we know it, advertisement is not always one-hundred percent honest. Internet users with online companions whom they never having met, typically form their own concepts of the person they are interacting with. In numerous instances there has been reporting that they were quite disappointed post meeting the person they were chatting to. They revealed that they preferred the person’s online self, superior to face to face. There is also an issue with stranger danger. As stated before, people advertise themselves in a light of their choice. They often tell you what they want and leave out what they do not want to disclose. This is dangerous for the receiver during the times of communicating. In class we learned that the receiver is more likely to believe what they are being told, leaving room for them to be deceived. There is no real way to read someone online unless you base your knowledge off of the other’s individual’s interaction with alternate users, and the alternative aspects they associate themselves with online besides you. It is at these times that physical interaction defeats the hype of technology. When communicating and dating someone via the internet, there is a major reduction in social cues. Body language is one of the most prominent ways we read someone, helping you to interpret how the sender wants the message to be conveyed. Social cues also are used in face to face interaction to determine if someone is being genuine, and without it we are somewhat lost. In my opinion, the development of technology has been fun, and innovating when it comes to a new way of communicating and connecting with others. BUT, I am not yet use to the idea of online dating personally. All in all , I would advise those who are engaging in this fad to be extremely cognizant of the dangers involved, and happy online dating!
Written by: Normani J. Marbury
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