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Internet Dating
Andrew Serrano once wrote a great article
about Internet dating. It’s true, people are
meeting on-line all the time. There are
positives and negatives to every instance. I
thought I might amuse you all with a few
ideas about Internet love.
If you tell anyone about dating someone
off the internet, they’ll tell their friends
you’re a computer geek. But unless they
don’t own a computer, they’ve done it. It
seems like Internet dating is kind of looked
down upon in the “real world.” People seem
to think of that as something reserved for
nerds and losers. But everyone with a
computer has tried it once or twice. If
nothing else, they’ve at least spent several
hours going through some personal ads with
sincere intent. It surprises me that
Internet dating is still somewhat “taboo.” I
say stand up and come out of the proverbial
closet.
Safety is always an issue. Since you
really can’t tell if someone is lying on the
computer, get to know him/her first. Always
let someone know where you’ll be and it’s a
good idea to have a cell phone. If you don’t
want to tell your parents, tell one or two
friends you trust in case you need a ride or
need someone to help you out of a jam in
case the person turns into a psycho.
Addiction is also a concern. Many people
begin to think that conversations with
people on the internet are love. They waste
their lives sitting in front of a computer
talking to someone thousands of miles away.
In very few cases, this works out, but in
many cases, one of the people will meet
someone and leave the other person sitting
there. I used to spend a lot of time in
Yahoo chat rooms. I saw women talking about
their internet boyfriends and how the
boyfriends were going to move a thousand
miles to be with them. In the end, they
always had their hearts broken. If you meet
someone on-line, don’t string them along and
don’t get too involved unless you intend to
take the relationship into the real world
within a few weeks.
Good things can happen on the Internet. I
have friends who’ve met on the Internet and
gotten married. I met a girl on the Internet
and became good friends with her. She ended
up marrying my cousin. If I never met her in
a chat room, they might both still be alone.
I’ve made several fantastic friends from the
Internet.
In conclusion, the Internet is a
wonderful gateway to people, ideas, and
culture, but it’s not a lifestyle. When
dating is concerned, it can offer a lot, but
always be cautious. My addiction to the
computer and my interest in computer dating
is over, but I can thank the Internet for
several good friends, many great chat
parties, a couple fun relationships, and
quite a few funny stories that may not have
seemed funny a couple years ago.
Gary L. Wright
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