Thursday, December 4, 2008

On online dating

Last Monday, I watched one of my guilty pleasures, ‘Confidentials’, a show in QTV 11. The topic was dating. A large part of the program tackled the present phenomenon of online dating.

I was reminded of three of my high school friends who have tried online dating. The results: a break-up, an ongoing romantic long distance relationship and a marriage. This should put my mind at ease, right? Well, no.

Whenever they would sojourn into this unconventional mode of dating, I found myself paranoid for their safety. I was always the first to tell them to ask another person to accompany them during EBs and not to go to the bathroom (the guy might put a drug on their drink and the date would turn into date rape). Even though they would kid me that I’m overreacting and that I should relax, they’d follow my advice anyway. I always suspected it was because they were worried too.

While it may be said that my fears are not exclusive to online dating, I still can’t wrap my mind around this concept. While the internet provides an infinite number of potential mates and you only go as far as you let it, I still think that dating should be fun and uncomplicated. It should be about initial attraction, good conversation and sparks flying. If your worries go farther than outfit changes, conversation starters and the butterflies in your stomach, where’s the fun in that?

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