Is Online Dating Dangerous in the Age of Tinder and Bumble?
These numbers shouldn't surprise anyone, but online dating among young adults has tripled in the last two years, according to a new Pew Research Center study. Pew surveyed 2,0001adults across the U.S. and found that not only is online dating surging in popularity among millennials, but 55 to 65-year-olds are also getting in on the action, with their numbers doubling in the same time frame. That means 27 percent of young people are finding dates online, as are 12 percent of people close to retirement age. And yet, 45 percent of the people polled still saw online dating as "dangerous" compared to other ways of meeting people. It was a stigma for more women polled than men.
But consider this: the same study found that 80 percent of Americans saw online dating as a good way to meet people.
So, is online dating really that risky?
Consider that meeting people online not only puts you at risk for physical harm, but also fraud. Although there are no hard numbers on your chances of online dating seriously hurting you, Pew's 2013 study did find that over half of adults using online dating felt someone seriously misrepresented themselves in their profile. Twenty-eight percent of users reported being contacted by someone who harassed them or made them feel uncomfortable. Women were more likely to experience said harassment (which would explain why they are more likely to see online dating as dangerous). And while numbers on scams are similarly hard to come by, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center reported 5,600 cases of online dating scams back in 2011. The trendy and easy-to-use apps that are making online dating more accessible could theoretically also be making it much easier for scammers and creeps to find new victims.
Beyond that "danger" factor, the other stigmas surrounding online dating apparently aren't dead yet.
Of those polled, 31 percent thought online dating gives people too many choices to settle down. And 16 percent still perceived online dating as "desperate."
But it's not all bad. The majority of participants viewed online dating as the easiest way to find a match, and 29 percent knew someone who met their spouse or longterm partner through online dating.
And face it: despite the surge in online dating popularity, bars and clubs aren't exactly on the way out when it comes to meeting new people. But it's safe to say that most people aren't looking at something like Tinder as an app for social recluses. And while online dating hasn't exactly been perfected yet, it is getting more and more likely that a couple's origin story will involve emojis. Take that as you will.
