The Dangers of Online Dating Essay

The Dangers of Online Dating

            The internet has progressed and continues to progress as time passes. The internet is a place where people can meet and communicate with each other. Whether they are in two completely different locations or the same location, the internet has helped us communicate as if we are right next to each other. The internet has also been constructed in a way where people can date online. The internet can be helpful but it can also be dangerous when it comes to online dating. People face many different types of dangers when they are associated with online dating because this world is filled with people who only want to cause damage to other innocent people. Online dating is dangerous because anyone can create a false profile that makes other people believe they are real but then lead to letdowns, predators and criminals use these sites to find victims, and finally because these sites portray themselves as a trusting site when it is just filled with false advertisement.

            There are many online dating sites such as match.com, eharmony.com, christianmingle.com, and much more. Unfortunately these sites are full of people who have created a false profile for themselves. Many of these fake people can be very dangerous because they can be rapists, sex offenders, criminals, etc. and they are portraying themselves as innocent regular people. The picture below portrays a man that is using a false profile he had created for online dating; this guy is full of lies because of how he portrays himself on his matchers.com profile. It depicts him as sexy, single and wealthy but by comparing his online profile to his actual self, which is a fat, ugly, and married man, anyone can tell that it’s fake, unfortunately other online daters wouldn’t know that. There was an online dating scam that involved Tim Dog, a 1990’s rapper. He pleaded guilty for grand larceny because he convinced a woman named Esther Pilgrim to gather $32,000 in credit card debt. Tim Dog lied to Esther Pilgrim because Tim Dog was trying to gather money for his comeback album. These are examples of the online dating letdowns because it is easy to create a fake profile and manipulate other people into thinking that the fake people are real. The scary part about these letdowns is when a criminal or a predator is trying to find a victim to harm.   

 

            When it comes to online dating, criminals or predators take advantage because they feel that online dating sites are bursting with victims they can harm. They create a fake profile that can take about 5 minutes to make and soon enough they are searching the site looking for a gullible victim they can put their hands on. Match.com was sued for $10 million by Mary Kay Beckman, Beckman met Wade Ridley online and Wade had the intentions to kill Beckman but failed to do so. As a matter of fact Wade Ridley confessed to have killed a woman named Anne Simenson, who he had met on Match.com. This is just one of the many criminals that are out there using these online dating sites as bait. People continue to use these online dating sites not having a clue about the many dangers that can occur. The reason why people still use these sites is because of the false advertisements that are portrayed.

            Many times on T.V. we see online dating advertisements, they always have at least two couples who have met and been married due to that site. The commercial only says that the couple has met and has been married for a certain amount of time but how do the viewer’s know if that is true? People just choose to believe this non sense only because it was on television. They feel that since it is on T.V. it has to be a real success. These online dating advertisements don’t speak about the possible dangers that can happen because then the online dating sites are afraid to lose money and “trust”. Beckman’s lawyer told KLAS that “adsfor the dating site give consumers no sense of the risks involved with onlinehook-ups” (David Knowles). These online dating advertisements are filled with lie and deceit and it’s unfortunate to see people get hurt, killed, or left disappointed due to these “trustful” websites. These advertisements do not fully convey everything about the site to the viewer, all they depict is the “good things” about online dating. Although they avoid the dangers, discussing possible solutions to avoid these online dating dangers wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

It’s difficult to come up with solutions to prevent these online dating dangers but it isn’t impossible. There are many things that these companies can do to protect their users from these dangers. The article “Common Sense Is Needed to Face theDangers of Online Dating Sites” is written by an anonymous writer known as the single city guy, but he actually gives a possible solution that companies can do to protect the online dating users. He states that, “…large marketing campaigns are created for selling a product, there could be marketing campaigns to inform the public of online dating safety. Even then, there's more they can do” (Single City Guy). These companies need to realize that in order for people to trust these sites, the companies need to discuss the dangers and safety tips to keep the users away from danger. There are many things that companies can do to solve the madness of online dating dangers. If online dating companies were smart and protected their users, they would not have to worry about lawsuits, complaints, and resentment. If they cared, they would gain users, publicity, and most importantly trust.

            I personally wouldn’t try online dating because I have trust issues when it comes to meeting complete strangers. Once I met this guy named Tom Johnson on Facebook, I had no idea who he was and he sent me a message. I replied back to his message and later in the conversation he was confessing to me that he was white supremacists, who killed 1 Black man and 1 Hispanic man. I was freaking out because this guy actually knew who I was and he was threatening me by saying that if I said anything he would come after me. I didn’t believe this person, I thought it was just a sick joke but eventually other people around Facebook had an encounter with “Tom Johnson”. Whether this person was fake or real this is an example of crazy people who stalk the internet. Obviously in an online dating site no one will introduce themselves like Tom Johnson did but they will act as if they are innocent and once its time to meet, the real Tom Johnson comes out.

             Online dating sites can be dangerous due to the people who use it. Some people will portray themselves in a truthful manner but others will not. Others will make themselves look like they are perfect when in reality they are posers, criminals, or predators. Online dating sites are mainly dangerous because of all the fake profiles that lead to disappointment, all the criminals or predators seeking for victims, and all the lies that the advertisements present so people can trust online dating. It’s a shame that the internet is packed with low lives that want to cause disappointment or harm to others, but hopefully one day there will be a solid solution that will put an end to the dangers of online dating.