Dating Dilemmas: The new golden rule
Love and the internet should not mix. Dating websites should be banned, and all talk of love on the internet should be squashed immediately. I say this as somewhat of a (self-proclaimed) expert on online dating and witness to several happy relationships which have their roots somewhere cybery. So it must be serious.
The problem is, it's too easy to be lulled into a state of false security. Privacy is a nonexistent concept online, and there's always a way to find out all about you. In it's most violent form this results in identity theft, although in real life this seems only to affect friends of friends i.e. the actual incident level is much lower than the media portray. But in everyday life, love-stalking is a very real hazard.
Say you meet a man online, and eventually get round to swapping that hallowed of all information - surnames. I defy anyone to not immediately Google for that person's name - even if it's Richard Smith. Company information makes it easier, as does knowledge of educational background. So you've got your first hit.
Then there's the MySpace, Facebook, Bebo checks you can make. I thought I had this sorted, as I'm only on Facebook, and as we know Facebook is for friends (or at least people you know). After a date which was very enjoyable, but not full of sparks, I wrote something to this effect on my Status Update. I know. I'm a fool.
Is it everyone but me that knew if someone is in the same network as you, they're privy to all your information - status updates included? Clearly I am, since he wasted no time in searching for me. Literally 30 seconds after posting it I received a (well-deserved) text message admonishing me.
And so, the internet strikes again. Whether it's an email you didn't mean to Reply All to, an IM conversation that would have been best kept between you and him, or something else, the web has a lot to answer for.
Susi Weaser is the editor of Shiny Shiny and has sworn off the internet except for work purposes
What of those people that did not intend to find a lover online but I guess you could say, fell in love? It happens.
Sometimes relationships work (whether they are with someone you met online or offline) and sometimes they don't.
Posted by: Unaiza | July 23, 2007 11:40 PM