To swipe or not to swipe?
A minefield on or off the phone.
‘No one wants to be THAT guy.’
After having an extended dry January, I decided to hit the tiles with my friend ‘for a gawk’. Within an hour, I was complimented by a lady on how cute it was to see my boyfriend and I out together, due to how well she perceived us to be dressed (this generated a lot of laughter between my friend and I).
There is some allowance for people banging into you and unwanted attention, but the nail in the coffin came when my sober friend got into an altercation with a drunk man. After a few heated words, the drunk man proceeded to rip the shirt clean off my friend’s back.
Annoyed and topless we left the club and proceeded home. Shaking our heads in disbelief, it was only two minutes into the journey that we agreed that there has to be a better alternative to this.
Choice
With 1 in 4 relationships these days starting from online dating, I must seriously consider this medium as a potential avenue of approach when plunging into the dating world. With strong arguments being canvassed by people I meet daily, for both the traditional approach versus the online approach, the answer to this question gets more muddled the deeper I mull over this topic.
In Ireland, we can no longer use the excuse that online dating is a new fad and that we are just coming to terms with it. It is alive and kicking and it is socially accepted that it can pay dividends in terms of finding whatever you want in your life.
Whether I want love, a friend or want to find a companion to spend time with, the options are there. If I wanted to have an orgy in a pool of mud with people dressed as clowns, I will be sure to find that too.
“Putting myself out there
Twice in my life, I have approached women out of a club or pub setting, during the week, in the middle of the day and asked them out. Putting myself ‘out there’ in that situation is a difficult thing to do. While I had visions of a movie like ending and having a great story to tell the grandkids, my day dreams were quickly ended.
Two attempts — two fails. Both ladies were in relationships but softened the blow by saying they were flattered. I don’t fear rejection, but I was putting myself out there on a limb to someone and I have no idea what their status is or what is going on in their life at that time.
In the online dating sphere, I am pitching to a pool of people who the majority are single. Over 150,000 people use the dating app Tinder in this country. Oddly, some who are in relationships pop up online but that sadly will always be the case. I control who I speak to and when and that is comforting.
Generally, women are prepared on nights out for copious amounts of male advances and will have a line or friend to intervene to wane off unwanted attention. Slurred words, spilled drinks and sexual comments are so common and prove to be tactless and completely undesirable.
Calm
Removing loud music, bad lighting and warped minds from excessive alcohol can give a greater sense of who a person might be. A profile can indicate a lot of what I want to know. Looks, age, likes and dislikes helps me decipher what makes this person tick. I can go online on the bus, on my lunch hour or even when I take a bath. No bumping, no ripped shirts and no questions about my sexuality.
However, there is a darker side of online dating that looms. With people being ‘catfished’ and horror stories of physical abuse and rape directly from online dating, it is paramount that personal safety is a must. Latest figures released suggest that 1 in 10 people lie on their dating profile, thus presenting a flawless and false persona of who the person really is.
Everyone is generally braver online and might not deliver on what is promised from online interaction. Dating apps can be so callous by their nature. One swipe to the left and immediate termination. A single negative red flag allows us to mercilessly condemn any person who do not meet our subjective criteria to the virtual scrapheap.
Having a check list of attributes for potential suitors will lead to failure. An open mind is crucial. Remove the bigotry and allow space for the not so perfect.
Internally, the monologue fluctuates from traditional to online. For now, I will keep the shirt on my back. Cupid might be appalled, but I am going to let my finger dictate my destiny.
2. Headline- done
3. Keywords -
- Online dating
- Traditonal approach
- Tinder
4. Tags-
- Dating
- Tinder
- Swipe
- Romance
- Love
5. Url — https://medium.com/p/e743d5216c69
6. Hyperlinks- done
7. Image — done
8. Tag image — done
9. Tweets-
(1.) “I finally had a witty opening line!” #funny #tinder #pic #tinderproblems #tindering #tinderfail #tindertales #tindernightmares #tindercreeps #tinderfails #tinderconvos #tinderwin #tindermoments #tindertuesday #tindervsreality
(2.) Looking For #Love Online: Reality vs. Expectations — https://medium.com/p/e743d5216c69/edit #tinder #story #reality #reallife
(3.) Expectation versus reality : Look, run or hide? #spooky #onlinedating #tinder #lies #profile #fake #fakeprofile #dating
10. Facebook posts -
1. Traditional Dating vs. Online Dating — The Battle for Love!
Finding ourselves well into the first quarter of the 21st century, it cannot be denied that online dating has revolutionized our traditional courtship rituals. In just over two decades, online dating has gone from a curiosity to a way of life.
When such a radical change occurs, especially in a relatively short period of time, there are going to be people who are going to criticize the new way of doing things. They will romanticise the past. Such is the case when traditional dating is compared to online dating
Mind you, traditional dating is not dead. Many of its attributes and characteristics that are fondly romanticized today still have a lot of merit — they still hold up. This, however, does not mean that it is superior to online dating.
Some people make the unfortunate mistake of surmising that online dating is cold and impersonal compared to traditional dating. The reality is that both traditional and online dating have their positives. Likewise, they both have their negatives.
Make your mind up by reading my latest article @ https://medium.com/p/e743d5216c69
2. Love, Love, Love — Online vs Traditional
Finding love is never easy, and the dating process can often be a lonely, frustrating experience full of rejection and uncertainty. Technology has tried to make the process as painless as possible with online dating, which lets you search for romance from the comfort of your own home. Of course, no system is perfect, and online dating also has its potential pitfalls when compared to traditional dating.
Will my article sway you either side? Find out @ https://medium.com/p/e743d5216c69