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The most common stigma associated with online dating is that only those people who are unlucky in ‘real-world’ dating date online.
A range of stereotypes exists that are linked to online dating, and many of them have negative connotations. These stereotypes include:
A commonly held belief about online daters is that they are unable to make a relationship work within the parameters of the physical world. Social ineptitude is a stigma that can be attached to online dating, due to the premeditated nature of finding a partner on the Internet.
However, many of these stigmas are outdated misconceptions, and increasingly online dating has become more socially acceptable.
It is a common misconception that those who are unable to hold together a relationship in the physical world dominate the online dating environment. Another misconception is that the range of personality types who date online is limited to Internet ‘geeks’ and the ‘desperate and dateless.’
However, the emerging popularity of online communication is indicative of the wide variety of personality types who date online. Increasingly, the online population reflects the physical population, including the online dating sphere.
Another misconception about online dating is the belief that online daters have something to hide if they choose to meet others online and not in the real world. Although this can happen, it is not predominant, and most online daters are genuinely searching for another person whose interests match their own.
There has been a large number of successful online dating encounters that result in marriage, and lifelong relationships. The couples who meet online often find that they are well-matched due to the straight-forward nature of registering a user's information with a dating website. It is common for online daters to be better matched than those couples who meet by chance in the real world.
One success story from Match.com is:
Nancy and Billy
"Here's our story: After I graduated from college in Arkansas, I got a job in Oklahoma. I moved there not knowing a single soul. I was playing around on the computer one day and decided to post a personal profile on Match.com to find friends, people to hang out with, etc. I had no expectations whatsoever.
I looked at profiles for girls and guys, just make some new friends. Lucky for me, I met Billy within the first 24 hours of logging in and answered his email with a full and sincere heart.
We communicated every day for a couple of weeks, just getting to know each other. We finally met after a week or so, and we dated for a while, seeing each other every single day. We fell in love quickly. I didn't meet anyone else, stopped responding to emails and started concentrating on Billy — my future husband!
Billy proposed to me on his birthday in December, and we were married seven months later. We are planning for a family in the future, but our current baby is a puppy named Celine. We’re so happy. Thanks, Match.com!" (Match.com, 2005).
Although there are many stories of online dating that has gone badly, a common theme amongst these bad stories is that the participants do not give up on finding a partner online.
Many users feel that one negative experience is not enough to deter them from trying again in the online dating world. While a person may not find a perfect match instantaneously, there is bound to be another user who shares the same interests and likes.
A common belief is that dating online reduces, not increases, the embarrassment of a failed relationship, and this is an incentive for unlucky online daters to continue their attempts to find a partner online.
Online Dating - Online Etiquette
Match.com. (2005) "True Story: I couldn’t stop thinking about him" retrieved October 22, 2005, from http://www.match.com/matchscene/articleTS.aspx?articleid=1883&lid=0
Lisa Irving 13:46, 26 Oct 2005 (EST)
