Relationships are becoming increasingly common across the internet in all their varied forms. Tens of thousands of people are exploring online romances and millions more are forging friendships over the internet. In our new digital age these online relationships could very well be the next logical step for humanity. People have the opportunity to know all manner of folk they would never meet in their day to day life. These online relationships often cross cultural, economical, national, age and societal boundaries in ways not even possible in the real world. Aside from the occasional folly, certainly no one could argue that this new online social world will have anything but positive effects for those involved.
Or could they?
When some single people are looking for a date, they go bar hopping. Others participate in organized activities, like church functions, hoping to find that special someone to share their interests, and perhaps something more. Still others simply spend time with their friends, hoping to meet the right person through a mutual friend. There are countless ways to meet people when you’re looking for a relationship. It’s just that some of them are safer and healthier than others.
This article warns you about one of the worst methods of finding a date, tailing the list just above kidnapping: online dating. This article will inform you about the downfalls of online dating so readers can make the healthy decision to stay away from it. If you are a parent, it is doubly important that you read this article, so you are aware of what dangers await your children online and you can do whatever is necessary to protect them.
Whether an online relationship starts by chance or through ads placed on personal advertising services, when two people manage to „find someone“ through the constant stream of pornography on the internet, the result is the same. The relationship is always unhealthy for those involved. Often, just the pursuit of a relationship online itself can even be dangerous!
If you’ve seen the average dating scene in our cities today, you are probably less than impressed with at least some of the people there. I’m sure we’re all aware of the sorts of losers that show up just about everywhere in today’s society, even when they’re not welcome. But imagine: the internet dating scene is composed of those who can not cut in in the real world dating scenes. The losers you see at the local bar are at least well adjusted enough to go look for partners in real life. In contrast, the people who would look for love online are so far below the mark that they don’t even bother showing up to traditional places where one can find a mate, because they know it’s hopeless.
Think! You know what kind of people use the internet. The internet is full of people who pay hundreds of dollars per month for high speed access to disgusting, degrading pornography sites!
Simply put, if you’re looking for love on the internet, you’re clearly scraping the bottom of the barrel. But it gets worse. In real life, your body, through years of trial and error, has developed a defense system that is adept at judging the people you meet. Your first impressions about people can speak volumes. If you happen to run into a person who is dangerous, or just a little bit too weird, warning signs go off in your head and you quickly dismiss the person, as you should, and move along to find someone else who is hopefully a bit more normal.
However, when you are talking to people online you have no way of telling what the person you are talking to is like. Without the ability to see someone, you can not properly judge them, and you never know what sort of person you are talking to until you make the dangerous step of meeting them in real life. To exacerbate things, most people you talk to online are aware of this, and exploit it to their benefit. Not only will they avoid speaking about their shortcomings, but they will often intentionally mislead you! Without the audio and visual cues you rely upon, you are powerless to determine if the person you are talking to is an average homely nerd or some sort of pornography addicted homosexual rapist!
An added benefit to meeting people in real life is that the places you go determine the sort of people you will meet. If you go to expensive clubs in nice parts of town, the people you see are forced to cross a kind of financial and social barrier to get in. On the internet, you have no way of knowing if you’ve accidentally struck up conversation with someone who is altogether different from you! If you’re not careful, you could even be talking to a presbyterian and not even realize it.
As mentioned before, because of the wide availability of pornography on the internet, most people online are only there to get their rocks off. While you or your child might become emotionally attached to the person on the other end of the wire, to them the relationship rarely means more than interactive pornography! You or someone you know is just being used for some perverts masturbatory pleasure!
Obviously, online dating is unhealthy and dangerous. If you value your life and your mental health, you must stay away from them. If you value your friends and family, you must warn them about these „relationships.“ And if you are a parent, you must monitor your children’s online activities closely. The „friendships“ they are forming could quickly become something deadly.
Thank you.
The original article from Adequacy.org, no longer maintained since 2002 as it appears.