Ever fell for a guy/her online who is very cute and you just want to have that person all to yourself? And then you decide to meet him/her at the mall and, guess what? It turns out that he/she was far different from what you saw online in their profiles. This being only one of the many disadvantages of online dating, the list just goes on.
While the ease of meeting people online has truly revolutionized the dating world, not everything about this new dating world is great. Finding people is now no more about meet-cutes in libraries. All you have to do is lounge in your PJs and swipe with your fingers. But is that all there is to it? Nope, absolutely not. There are pros too. For starters, not only is it quick and efficient, but it’s also just like an infinity pool. Boundless, massive and spectacular! But the downside to infinity pools is that they can be scary. You can’t gauge how far you might want to go and which end is the deep end?
However, this article is all about the disadvantages of online dating, and while we don’t mean to dissuade you from meeting people online, today we’re going to focus on the other side of the coin. Truth be told, there are, in fact, many great tips to date successfully online and an abundance of real-life success stories that only further enrich the same.
However, knowing the downsides is a smart and sensible thing to do in order to play things right. So, if you are starting out into this new digital dating world, take it from us and you’ll do much better knowing what to look out for.
Online dating is here to stay, there’s really no way to avoid this reality. Younger adults have enough reasons for online dating and have really turned it into a way of life. But all that glitters is not gold and we are here to show you why.
Not all online dating encounters are bad and not every date will make you want to pull your hair out. But there are some disadvantages of online dating you should take note of before you try it. See for yourself:
- It feels like a loop
A right swipe, some scintillating small talk and it’s a date! That too, if you get lucky and actually hit it off on text. But your chemistry on text won’t necessarily guarantee a spark in real life. This is why you have to try and try and try. That is why, one of the reasons online dating seems to be annoying, is that it gets repetitive.
- The paradox of choice
Four amazing women waiting for you to text them back as they patiently wait in your DMs and you still end up taking your high-school best friend to a music festival. Yeah, you know what I mean. Having so much attention and so many options lead to the famous ‘paradox of choice’, leaving you feeling flustered and overcome by dating anxiety.
And we even have online dating statistics to back that up. A poll suggested that 32% of online daters felt much less willing to settle down and commit exclusively to a single partner with so many options on their radar.
- It’s full of lies
Maybe their heart is in the right place when it comes to you, but that is no excuse for them to hide the fact that they used to be married, until the sixth date. The thing with online dating is the lack of accountability of it all and the ability to just ‘ghost someone’ one fine day, empowers people to sell a blown-up version of themselves.
It’s not uncommon to meet someone who, you might learn later on, actually has a completely different job or, for all you know, lives in their car.
- The texting stage might just be all sizzle and no steak
Whether you meet someone four hours or four months after matching with them, the prelude to that is the famous texting stage. Now googling the best pick-up lines for girls is something that any Melvin can do to sweep you off your feet. However, before you put on your best underwear and head over to his house because he called you ‘babe’, hold your horses, girl.
The ease of online dating might make you want to jump in too quickly and absolutely forget all the risks of online dating that come with it. Apart from the obvious, he could actually be a serial killer, a few good rounds of flirty texting can never be enough to get your hopes up and put your expectations into overdrive. Don’t rush it. Let it play out for some more time.
- It brings with itself romance scammers
One might say the anonymity and the guardedness one feels behind a screen might help them shed their insecurities and reveal the best versions of themselves. And while that is partly true, you wish the world was that kind. In reality, the same thing is used as an advantage by romance scammers who use online dating apps as a mechanism for catfishing.
- There’s a LOT of scope for disappointment
A picture speaks a thousand words, but those thousand words might end up being far far different from the ones you wanted to hear. A guy’s ‘post-workout photo’ might be something he had clicked last year, just before his pandemic weight gain. Or maybe she’s wearing a gorgeous sundress in her photo but shows up in sweatpants on the date. As a no sweatpants gal myself, that’s a big deal-breaker for me already.
As superficial as this might sound, a person’s photo on a dating app is the very first thing that determines whether one wants to take it further or not. So the whole “don’t judge a book by its cover” advice, really just goes out the window – at least before the first date. Be prepared for some shockers, because they might just end up surprising you, and not in a good way.
- Online dating is famous for its many harassment stories
Want to talk about some disadvantages of online dating? Then it’s time to get really serious here. Online harassment is a grave thing and if someone knows a few good ways to divert their I.P address (and is absolutely rotten in the head), they might just be inclined to do it.
There are online dating statistics based on studies that one in four women have been stalked online or have suffered some kind of harassment on dating apps.
And that may not be hard to believe considering that if you are a woman, you have probably received a good deal of unwarranted dick pics. And if you’re not a woman, you probably have a friend who narrated the revolting incident to you.
- The money factor is one of the biggest online dating problems
Boy after boy, night after night, dinner after dinner. That’s what online dating is and it is sure to put a dent in your pocket. One of the most talked-about online dating problems, even if you do split the bill and find a good way to decide who pays on a date – those are spent evenings and monies that you just won’t get back.
- Online dating propels the idea of the perfect person
Raising the bar is not such a bad thing, but stop shooting for the Sun. Men who cook well and are great in bed just don’t exist in this world. Jokes apart, each one of us is already riddled enough with the drama and exhaustion of finding ‘The One. The disadvantage of online relationships is that it only exacerbates the desperation of that search.
- It might make you fickle and inconsiderate
Speaking of some disadvantages of online dating, this is one to take careful note of – one of the negative effects of online dating is that it can quickly go from dating a player and getting your heart broken to suddenly becoming the player in somebody else’s story. With so many options and the chance to always find ‘someone better, you may end up breaking many hearts too.
This is what the whole process makes you. Maybe Ama is waiting for you to text her back when you’re on a date with Adwoa. Even though that’s fair if it’s within the rules of dating, it can still induce a weird habit of disposing and discarding people.
- Self-esteem issues are one of the dangers of online dating
Okay, now we are bringing out the big guns. The risks of online dating are many but the biggest of them all is losing yourself in it. Online dating can quickly become addictive, almost like a game even. And with things not working out, the algorithm being a disappointment, facing back-to-back rejections or the plain old, “Why doesn’t he like me back!”, can leave you feeling very glum.
This crazed cycle can overcome you and your mental health in a matter of months. That’s the deep end of online dating we talked about earlier on. Keeping your sanity, self-esteem and happiness intact is a real challenge and is also one of the disadvantages of online dating that you should be careful of.
We hope this long list of disadvantages of online relationships was helpful. As interesting as it may be to find a new partner for yourself in this new and supposedly improved way, don’t lose sight of all that could go wrong.
You may not agree with all of it, but after reading all these disadvantages of online dating, we hope you will at least stay safe!
