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In this article:
- What is Online Dating
- Problems related to online dating
What is Online Dating
An online dating service or a net dating service is a dating system through which individuals, couples or groups of people can get together online with the purpose of friendship, a romantic relationship or even marriage. Typically, these dating services are completely un-moderated and the matchmaking is at the user’s discretion who may do so by using personal computers or cell phones and the Internet.
Another characteristic of such services is that they collect personal information including what the person is looking for in other people before he or she interacts with them through the website. These criteria are asked during registration but can also be changed while searching and include the age range, gender and location etc. Users are also given an option to upload their photos for everyone to see. Apart from this, certain sites go as far as providing a forum, a blog, an online chat facility and webcasts as well. Though all websites tend to have a free membership, they are very limited in functionality. The features are activated in paid memberships which come for a monthly or annual fee. While most sites allow members from all over the world and from any background, some websites may be aimed at catering to a particular niche such as a particular location or interest.
According to a research done by the Online Publishers Association (OPA) and comScore Networks, a total of $469.5 million was spent by US residents for online dating in the year 2004, making it the largest ‘paid-for content’ on the Internet. In recent years, online dating has also become popular in the countries of Europe with new startups and websites coming up at a growing rate.
Problems related to Online Dating
A variety of problems exist in the area of online dating, most of which pertain to the central feature of the Internet, that is, anonymity and free will.
Some websites on the Internet do not show what profiles they hold before a person registers. Thus, a person may register with the website with the intention of finding someone special for himself but end up discovering that most of the profiles are that of males. This practice is sometimes called as ‘blind registration’. Also, websites may themselves put up fake profiles that talk of people that do not exist in reality. They contain some photos of beautiful people which attract the attention of new members. These types of profiles are commonly called as ‘bait profiles’.
Sometimes, even the users may put up fake profiles. These profiles act as advertisements for services including prostitution or even a multi-level marketing scheme. Websites do not usually delete the profiles they have even if a person leaves the website. These profiles stay there for months or years together giving an impression to a first-time visitor that the website has a lot of members. So also, websites tend to have more males members than female members.
A common characteristic of online dating is the lack of trust between members of the same website. All these members have ‘real’ profiles but they may easily fake the information they expose. It has often been found that people lie about their weight, height and age etc. Some members may also resort to using very old photos of themselves to prove that they are telling the truth about themselves. Many profile descriptions are often boastful of the person it belongs to.
A variation to online dating sites is matrimonial Sites which aim at bringing people together with the purpose of marriage alone. These types of websites generally have lower degree of fake information or profiles since they are specifically meant from long term relationships rather than being aimed at short term relationships like the conventional ‘casual’ dating websites. However, a certain lack of trust still exists.
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