I think many people have this view of dating sites being full of old, ugly men that spend more time alone, in front of computer screens than they do being out-and-about socializing. Personally, I have never tried online dating myself, but did recently set up a page for a friend. Turns out he wasn’t so impressed with me doing this when I started asking for his credit card details, so his page has since been deleted. Therefore, he is not one of these people spending an average of $239 a year, making online dating worth over $4billion worldwide!
Adverts for various dating sites may tell us that 1 in 5 people have tried online dating and 17% of weddings in the last year were of people who met online, but there are some facts that they may want to hide. Apart from the 400 question survey you must take to set up the page in the first place, there are some things about online dating that I think everyone would like to avoid.
- 55% of British online dating users have come across or have been victims of online dating dishonesty. This is when people put fake pictures of themselves or tell lies about their appearance/personality. This will then obviously lead to disappointment and is a big waste of time for both sides. So, try to make sure you know who you are meeting. Ask for more photos of the person and check they match what you are expecting before your first date.
- Only a fraction of dates actually go on to be a long-term relationship, so have you thought about how you could be let down by the ones that don’t work out? Well, around a half of break-ups of online relationships are done by email. I don’t know about you, but the thought of receiving an email which can only make me feel rubbish is not tempting me to try online dating if I ever needed to. There is no way to avoid this though I am afraid, just be prepared for it.
- 10% of sex offenders use online dating to meet people. This means that you may be putting yourself in danger on dates, although this could be the same in normal dating. Just be aware and let your friends know where and who you will be with. And most importantly, if you are unfortunate enough to be a victim of an online sex offender, make sure you tell the police so that it cannot happen again to another unfortunate dater.
So, if you are considering joining the other 15million online daters in the UK, then I would say ‘Go for it!’, but be aware that it isn’t all love and romance. There could be hours of sitting waiting for someone to give you a wink or send you a message, but stick it out and I’m sure you will find a match. Just remember to be cautious and stay safe!
Pretty Girl x
Pretty Girl 