by Vilie Farah

Created on: July 04, 2010

One quest has persevered  throughout human history – the quest for love. As times changed and new epochs came, people discovered innovative ways to search for their better half and express their feelings.

The era of internet has come to change significantly romance and dating. Online dating came to life. People initially accepted this innovative way to search for love suspiciously. After all, internet grants its users enormous anonymity.

Today’s hectic lifestyle has made many people turn to internet dating. It is much less time-consuming than real-life dating. It allows individuals to date people from other countries and continents. Internet dating could happen while someone is conveniently sitting at home, sipping on a favorite drink.

What is internet dating? Can we really find love this way? How does it differ from real-life dating and what are the dangers associated to it?

HOW IT ALL STARTS
A study by Nielsen reveals that one in four adults has used internet dating websites. Of all individuals who have visited dating sites, 16.2 percent were able to start a long-term relationship and 8.9 percent got married to someone they discovered via a dating website.

Why is internet dating so luring? It often starts as the result of pure curiosity. Even the biggest skeptics could create a profile in a dating website just to see how the process goes. Online dating is addictive. It gives each individual access to hundreds of profiles. It involves the thrill of waiting for a personal message and learning more about someone new.

Internet dating is fun. Though it holds some hidden dangers, getting to know someone this way involves much less strain and embarrassment. If the two people manage to create chemistry and intimacy online, they are given the chance to expand this virtual relationship and meet in person. If romance fails happening, users can simply move on to communication with someone else.

WHY IS IT DIFFERENT?
Internet dating differs significantly from real-life dating. The most important difference is the fact that people can get to know each other without face-to-face contact. Meeting someone in person signifies worry, embarrassment and uncertainty. All these feelings are missing in the virtual realm.

This type of virtual dating gives introverted individuals and shy people an excellent chance to discover love. Virtual communication is not as intense and frightening as real-life meetings. Most of the high-stress factors are missing.

Virtual dating allows

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>