If you are single and haven’t tried online dating you are really late to the party. Even though it seems like just yesterday that a couple would share that they had met through a website or app and receive confused stares, this is now commonplace for singles looking to connect with potential partners. Of course, as with any technological disruption, looking for love on the internet has it’s own challenges and we will get to those in a bit.
The New Normal
In today’s world ideas and behaviors deemed weird pervade into the mainstream and become accepted norms in the blink of an eye. When online dating was new it came with a negative stigma for a lot of people. Common views were that it was too unnatural or that if you needed to go to the internet to find dates you lacked some social skills that hindered you from finding love the same way people have always done it. However, anyone with critical thinking skills could see beyond this and now even those without them can. Finding love online really is the new normal and it continues to become more prominent in cultures across the globe. Online dating isn’t limited to long term relationships either, people are are finding every type of romantic relationship you can imagine with new niches popping up every day.
There’s An App For That!
If you want to give online dating a try, it is easy. It is also easy to waste a lot of time. Do your research and find the right website app or both. There are also matchmaking services that can get pricey, but do a lot of the work for you. You can download popular apps like Tinder and Bumble or go with an online service like Match.com or eharmony. These will put you in a pool with singles looking for all types of relationships from hooking up, dating casually, or serious long term relationships. You can filter your searches to match what you want. If you are strictly looking for casual encounters, you may want to look toward hookup sites as they are populated by users looking specifically for that. You will have to create a profile and after that you are off to the races.
Tread Carefully
For the uninitiated online dating pools can be scary waters. Ideally you can find the partner and arrangement you want while avoiding the fakes and faux pas. Just know that catfishing is a thing and what to look out for. As with any new technology there are predatory people that look to exploit it. Also, just like any social interaction there are expected norms. These can vary across different platforms so it helps to become familiar with the styles and ways members interact on different apps or websites. Sometimes this will be explicit and sometimes it will take some trial and error on your part.
Have Fun
Ultimately dating, as challenging as it is, is supposed to be fun. Meeting someone new and developing a connection is refreshing and exciting. Taking this pursuit online allows people to do this much more efficiently when utilized correctly. Online dating also expands people’s net. Whereas singles in the past were limited to proximity and social network, the only limitations now are set by the individual. We are big advocates of online dating and encourage anyone who is on the fence to give it a try. … Read More