Posted on Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Online dating is super popular now and has millions of users all around the globe using it daily but there are still many misconceptions surrounding it. Even some people who use these sites may feel embarrassed because of these misconceptions and deny they are using such services. We are here to help you get over these misconceptions. There are tons of people using dating sites and finding true love. Waplog included, most dating sites try to eliminate these misconceptions so people can enjoy this modern way of meeting new people more freely. There are some positive and negative misconceptions that end up impacting people in a negative way. Here are the most common myths used against online dating.
1. It's full of weirdos and losers
This myth is still around which surprises us when we have millions of members signed up on our website. With that many users and many other online dating websites that don't sound very right. Attractive people do use dating sites as well as unattractive people and that is because people from all over the world sign up to find love or friendship. There may be some unattractive or uninteresting people. However, they sure are interesting and/or attractive to someone else. So do yourself a favor and do not call on this myth and walk away right away. Out of millions of people, you are bound to find someone you will like. You need some effort and patience to find the one and just because they are signed up online to find love doesn't make them losers. There are also people from different paths of life and have various different reasons why they use dating sites to find love. They may be fed up with the bar scene or just don't have the time to meet people because of their work schedule.
Some people believe in a variation of this myth which is another huge myth "people using dating sites are desperate". Yes, some people on these sites might be desperate but think about your offline life and all the strangers you interact with on a daily basis. Some of these strangers will be losers or desperate people looking for something you are not interested in. Online dating is not much different from offline life in the means of how often you interact with different types of people, and that really isn't that bad. Having all those people you don't like means that there are huge numbers of people signed up on these websites and someone for you is or will be there too.
2. You will get no response messages
As long as you have filled in all the information boxes about yourself and put some decent photos you should be getting responses in no time. Sometimes it could take time and sometimes you will not get a response from another user but online dating is not very different from offline dating. Sometimes you get rejected without getting a chance and that is life, you move on. One of the best parts of Waplog is that we try to get beyond the copy-pasted generic "Hi" messages that were sent to hundred other people as much as we can so you can have more intimate talks with people that matter. The way we do it is by warning the user with a "don't spam" warning and blocking them from writing messages for some time. At Waplog messages mean something so getting a response is much easier compared to other websites.
3. Everyone is after one night stands
Some people claim that online dating has diminished long-term relationships and brought one-night stands along but that really isn't the case. Casual sex has been around for years— long before dating sites existed. Having access to the Internet just made it more public and easier to find out about these encounters. Of course, there are people signing up for casual sex but there are more specific platforms for one-night standers so they prefer those platforms, and filling out information bubbles and other information sections deter people from looking for something fast and easy. Online dating has only enabled people to find others that want what they want and that is really not that bad of a case.
4. Some people may say it's just for fun or for a pastime
People can claim that as much as they want but the truth is, there are millions of people who actually found their match through dating sites. They may even start off as for fun but millions of users and tons of married couples who found each other using online dating websites say something different. Online dating gives more time to get to know someone and allows people to be more transparent and honest. That may sound wrong at first glance, you can ask how is that possible when people can easily lie hiding behind their screen. Well, the answer is easy; yes people may lie because they are hiding behind a screen but for the same reason this allows people to be more transparent. There are some things that people may not be as comfortable talking about in person and messaging online can enable people to talk about these topics more freely. The same exact freedom can be beneficial in admitting who you are and what you really like. Therefore, conversations and relationships have a better way of getting deeper and more meaningful.
5. Being embarrassed to be seen while E-Dating
Even in this day and age, there is still a stigma around online dating which doesn't make much sense anymore with millions of people meeting online and doing so in a public way. Online dating has become a part of the dating scene and it's all around us; friends, TV shows, movies, etc. and it is time to accept it for what it is. We live our lives at a fast pace and sometimes we may not have enough time to find love offline and that is how online dating has become to be so popular.
Let's say you are still not comfortable with the idea of your friends, relatives, or co-workers to find out about your dating life; that is when you trust the website you are using. Websites and apps take precautions to protect your privacy and not allow you to pop up when someone Googles you. You have to check and make sure you are protected, especially at Waplog we take your privacy seriously and do everything to keep your public information private from everyone else. However, it's time we get over this stigma because the less we talk about this issue the more we will have to hide it. If more married couples who met through Waplog or other dating websites came out and talked about online dating, people would be more comfortable talking about it as well.
6. Not possible to find a good match
Like we said millions of people are already using dating sites and thousands of people are signing up each day so not finding a good match doesn't seem feasible looking at that equation in a mathematical way. At first glance it might seem like people are unattractive or you can never find a good match but you need to throw that bias away and put some elbow grease and look for that perfect match. You don't have to wait to see the one, just message people and read their profiles and you should be able to find some very good matches. leave no rock unturned and good luck.
7. Dangerous people are all over dating sites
We hear some terror stories like 2010 Boston's "Craig list Killer" or other stories where someone was murdered or almost murdered by online dating gone wrong. However, when you take that into a percentage of how many people use online dating websites and find love to how often these horror stories happen you can tell online dating is not all that bad. Bad things and dangerous people exist in our daily offline lives as well, it's not like we don't hear news where someone murdered someone they knew a friend, a relative, etc. We should be looking at online dating websites as a sample of humans living around us who are single and it's only natural that these types of people exist in virtual life. It is much easier to represent yourself as someone else so you need to be more careful and take precautions accordingly just like when you have to be careful when interacting with strangers offline.
8. Fake profiles and lies
We are not going to lie people do lie or try to misrepresent themselves especially online; there even is a show called "Catfish" a show only examining online dating liars and scammers. There have been many cases where people fell in love with someone that did not exist. For these scenarios, you have to keep your eyes open and never let go of common sense no matter how much you want to believe they are real. Some of these accounts just lie for the pure excitement of lying, and some lie to scam you and get your money. For these, there is nothing you can do but look at the red flag signs and take as many precautions as you can. Other than scammers there are liars who lie about other things such as age, height weight, etc. In any human interaction, there will be some amount of posturing and you get to pick at what amount you cannot tolerate that lie. There are also people just like you, looking for love and the best thing they can do is be honest and not lose someone they might want to have a relationship with. It's easy to lie when you have your computer to hide behind, but dating sites are there to introduce you to someone so you can meet offline. So what happens when you show up to your date and you look nothing like your photos? You look silly and that date ends as a failure. For more information about the precautions to take when online dating read this article here
1. It will make me dateable
This is yet another misconception but instead, it's a positive one that might build your expectations high and let you down when it doesn't happen. Online dating is not going to solve your dating problems it's just an alternative to traditional dating. If you are not good at socializing or just unattractive and can't get dates in traditional environments, you are not going to develop these skills overnight just because you are on a dating site. Online dating is the same as the traditional dating scene with its biggest difference being its biggest advantage; you can find any type of person you want. With millions of users, you are bound to find someone to have a mutual attraction with no matter how bad you look or what your interests are.
2. It's easy as pie to get dates
Nope it's not easy and yes you can ask people out on dates wearing your favorite pj's but you need to put in the effort. Setting up a generic account and sending copy-paste messages to people is not going to get you much further. You will need to put in the effort to create the profile and contact people you want to get to know. Write a unique message and choose the right pictures to put on your profile. You want to make sure you are not half-assing anything to attract the type of people you want to attract. Also, as we mentioned before on Waplog there is a limit on how many messages you can send before you get a warning and a message blockage to calm you down - So you need to really keep tabs on who you are messaging and how often.
3. You will meet someone as soon as you sign up.
This is a huge misconception to get rid of especially once you sign up because it ain't happening. You will /might get some messages right away but that doesn't and shouldn't mean you are done. You need to put in the effort and be patient. Being patient and not giving up on it after a couple of days is for your own good. You wouldn't stop going to a bar because you didn't find anyone there on your first time there would you? The same goes for dating sites. It shouldn't be that easy to find the one anyways wait it out and happiness awaits you at the end of the tunnel.
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For more articles, check out our blog posts. If you are ready to find the one for you, sign up or log in to your Waplog profile and date until you drop. Have fun.
