January 3, 2001    
begin

write

look

learn

find

Do you think that online dating is an unhealthy flaw in today's society?

Probably less so than getting hammered in a bar and going home with some person you barely know. Yet it seems a bit detached to me.

Felicia, 34
Lowell
, MA   USA

I think meeting on the internet is just an extension of the ways people have met in the past. I expect the users to exercise the same amount of discretion they would on any other first date when they actually meet in person.

Jane, 60
West Linn
, OR   USA

I think too much time on line has it's downside no matter what you're doing. As far as on-line dating specifically goes I don't see anything wrong it.

Alias Irrelevante

If it works for some people, then it works. I can't work for all of us, but I wouldn't call it a flaw. And it's only unhealthy if it leads to an unhealthy relationship. I think those who date exclusively online and never meet then get married are asking for trouble. But again, it's all relative and depends on the ppl involved.

Firelady, 23
Dallas
, TX   USA

I did it, in high school. Now I just look at it as one of those silly things teenagers do.Come to think of it, my romantic life now seems pretty much limited to the computer, through no fault of my own (that I know of). . .

Karen, 21
Marshelltown/Ames
, IA  USA

Online dating isn't a flaw in society. I don't think online dating is the best way to meet someone, but as long as it involves mature adults, it's none of my business.

Laura, 35
Lowell
, MA   USA

On line dating is a new variation of courtship. As with any other human activity, the devil is in the details.

Jill, 60
Saylorsburg
, PA  USA

I can't say it is a flaw, since I met my wife and soulmate online. We met in 1997 in an Excite.com chat room, talked on the phone a week later. Spoke every night for about 3 months before we met. We were from different parts the country, 1800 miles apart. Once we met, I moved South (from Northern NY) to close to Atlanta, GA a month later. We were engaged 3 months later, and got married 11 months after that. We have now been married  for about a year and half. So, if it wasn't for online dating, I would not be with the most wonderful women in the world right now.

Kevin, 33
Sugar Hill
, GA  USA

Nope, not at all. How is meeting someone online any more risky than going out with someone you met in a bar? To me online dat ing is just another avenue to meet the person you are meant for.

Maggie, 20
Sandwich
, IL   USA

It depends what sort of "online dating" you are talking about. Sometimes people in this world are in search of something special, and a lot of times it is just someone who will listen to them----therefore they find this in online friends. I have many online friends, each of them special in their own way. And I value the relationships that I have with each one.   So I think that if your online looking for friends, and that develops into more, and you meet offline, and you click, and things progress like that, then GO FOR IT!

Anjel, 19

I don't think it is healthy or unhealthy, rather, it is a fact of modern life. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. Thest advice I can give on that comes from Fox Moulder on the X-files: Trust No One.

Bruno, 31
Denver
, CO   USA

Absolutely not. I've met my last several boyfriends, including my current one, online. Im very shy in person and its much easier for people to get to know me online. If you don't care for it, don't participate, but don't judge anyone who does, says I.

Talia, 23
Wilton
, CT   USA

No, I guess not...

Sarah S., 17
Ithaca
, NY   USA

i wouldn't call it unhealthy, but it's definitely not really something i consider to be all that beneficial for society. Like, dating online just simplifies everything so much. It's not two people meeting, feeling attracted to each other and going out. It's two people using a fake name, possibly giving fake info about themselves looking for an easy way to find their soulmate/partner/entertainment. However, if it actually works for people and they're happy, then may they go ahead

Natalia, 18
Victoria   AUSTRALIA

Maybe not unhealthy, but I think it's kind of dangerous.... you don't know who these people really are. It's the same with any dating service though, not just online.

Dianne, 16
Oshawa, Ontario   CANADA

No, I don't; it's simply an alternate way to meet people you wouldn't ordinarily. But, in the interest of full disclosure, I should say that online dating is precisely what I've been doing for the past two years, albeit with mixed results.

Kim, 30
New York
, NY   USA

I'm not quite sure what the question means. "An unhealthy flaw"?  Online dating seems to fit in well with the fast-paced, high-tech age we live in. Dangerous if you ask me (which you did) but it fits right in.

Reba, 51
Rockville
, MD   USA

Not at all. I have met people who have become long-term lovers through an online group I participate in, and my parents met in the early days of online services and have been happily married for about eight years now.

etoile, 19
Washington
, DC  USA

That completely depends on the people doing it, how long they've been talking, what kind of "talking" they do, etc. I have met some good friends on here and I know people who have met and are happily married/dating by meeting on line. However, there are always a few cases where things go wrong. So my only advice would be...if you are going to do it, BE CAREFUL!

Tracy, 24
Ocean City
, NJ  USA

No. Not if both parties are extremely cautious and are both seeking the same type of relationship. Times are changing. What the hell is the difference between meeting someone online or in a bar where they could follow you home .. or at the very least, be lying to your face anyway!  It doesn't make a difference. And you may even have MORE opportunity to investigate your potential partner by first "meeting" online.

Fisch, 45
Preston
, CT   USA

It all comes down to what you wanna do. If you wanna date over the internet, then do it. It's just not my thing.

Kevin2, 18
Bakersfield
, CA  USA

Yes I think that online dating can be very dangerous with all the strange types of people out there. I think it has spoke for itself through the news media bringing out stories of young girls and some guys running away and disappearing to meet someone they met online.

Marci, 55
Diamond
, OH   USA

I think onlne dating is just a more advanced and modern way of meeting people. I do believe however that going online solely for the intent to find a "bed buddy" or someone of the like, is a flaw and is like looking for a free prostitute.

Stephanie, 25
TX   USA

NO, I think it is fun and in some ways it is better. I have dated several women online and had a blast. Some have worked into real life encounters. These dates offline had more value because we knew more about each other. It is better than any club or bar to meet people.

Paul, 30
Lowell
, MA    USA

Yes. I think it's weird!

Susan, 32
Chicago
, IL   USA

Hmmm... well, on one hand, I'm sure it doesn't really work unless you live in the same area, but then again, it's kind of another example of the diversity and uniqueness of our society.

Jeremy, 13
Highlands Ranch
, CO  USA

No not at all but it might have people not thinking in Reality which isn't such a bad thing but if they think it's how real life is then it would be bad.

Savannah

Yeah probably. I mean, I have a friend, who's widowed Dad met some woman online. They met and dated and stuff and then on Christmas morning my friend had to sit through her Dad proposing. I mean, she had to pretend she was happy and everything.

Jaden, 21
Brampton, Ontario  CANADA

Silly, perhaps, but to each their own, man.

A-Dog, 18
McMinnville
, OR  USA

I don't know about unhealthy flaw in today's society, but I do know that online dating can be dangerous, scary, and obsessive. "Teenage suicide: don't do it." -Heathers

Amy, 24
New Orleans
, LA  USA

I don't think its any worse than the newspaper dating classifieds or a phone dating service.

Karen2, 15
Boston
, MA   USA

I think meeting people in person who you've only met online can be dangerous, but if you're careful then having an online relationship can be an easier way to express difficult feelings. I don't think it is an unhealthy flaw, but I do challenge people to make sure that they aren't dating online because they feel like they can't handle the real thing. If that's the case, then you are likely cheating yourself out of what is probably much more fulfilling,

Eric, 18
Beverly Hills
, CA  USA

It all comes down to what you wanna do. If you wanna date over the internet, then do it. It's just not my thing.

Kevin2, 18
Frazier Park
, CA  USA

Yesterday / Tomorrow