7 Common Myths about Online Dating People Still Believe

Many people swear that online dating is just one huge scam that will end in disaster, or they will tell you’re just wasting your time and try meeting someone locally and in person. Um. Hello! If it were that easy, there wouldn’t be any need for these dating websites. But, as we all know, meeting someone we connect with is not that simple!

The truth is, people have a lot of misconceptions about online dating and they are always quick to point them out whenever someone mentions that they are on a dating site. We are here to dispel those commonly believed myths and shed a little bit of light on this mysterious (not really) thing called online dating.

1. Online Dating Websites Are Full of Dangerous People

For some strange reason, people are under the impression that the people who join an online dating site is going to meet the next Jack the Ripper or someone as nefarious. You have the potential to meet dangerous people at your local grocery store, the bar or they could even be your neighbor! The point is, you’re always going to have to exercise some sort of common sense and good judgement when you’re going out with someone new, regardless of how you met them. The risk involved is not exclusive to online dating.

2. You Can Get Dates without Uploading a Profile Picture

Whether you are trying to hide your identity from someone you may know, or you’re trying to protect yourself from “creepers,” you might think that you can find love without a picture. As much as we want to believe that looks aren’t going to play a factor in online dating, we’re wrong. We are just as shallow online as we are in person, and if your profile doesn’t have a picture, you aren’t going to get nearly as many messages as when you do have a kick-ass photograph on your profile. In otherwise, say cheese and take that picture!

3. People Lie on Their Profiles All the Time

Sure, you’re going to run into some people who will lie on their profile, but that isn’t a common place. Most of the lies you’ll come across are ones that are intended on making themselves look better and attract more people. However, the larger lies aren’t common because they can easily be disproven upon meeting. If you’re afraid for falling for a lie, well… Once again, you have the risk of being lied to when you meet someone in person just as much as meeting them online.

4. Online Dating Is Expensive

You wouldn’t believe how many people are under the impression that in order to meet quality people who are looking for love, they have to pay a small ransom in membership fees. That is so wrong. There are plenty of free sites available that you could become a member of, for example, iamnaughty.com. The sites that are free to use often are able to offer their services because they allow ads on their site. While the site may have some ads here and there, at least you aren’t paying for a service where there is no guarantee that you will find someone to date.

5. Online Dating Is Only For Hooking Up, Not Serious Relationships

While it is true, there are some people who join these dating sites to hook up (although there are sites designed specifically for that purpose), the majority of folks who join up to these sites are looking for love, just like you are. Most of the time, if people were really interested in just hooking up, they’d use an app or website designed for it—they wouldn’t waste their time on a dating website.

6. You Can’t Learn Enough about Someone on a Dating Site to Make a Real Connection

Some people will argue that you cannot make a real connection with someone you met online, especially if you tend to look for non-verbal cues and rely on your ability to judge someone’s character when you’re interacting with people. Yes, there is nothing like interacting with someone in person to make a connection, the truth is, you can learn a whole lot about a person even before you meet them, thanks to a completed profile. When you meet someone online, you can learn so much more about a person than you can ever learn about someone just by introducing yourself.

7. You Can Only Meet Your Match If You Answer a Million Questions

Unless you actually enjoy doing surveys and answering mundane questions, you really don’t have to answer a bunch of questions in order to find your match. The questions do help the sites algorithm, but you can also be proactive and search through the message boards and join chat rooms to meet someone too. If you have a conversation with someone and it goes well, you may find out you are more compatible than anyone else you were matched with. Sometimes, opposites really do attract!

Like anything else in life, it’s impossible to get a feel for something just by listening to other people’s experience — you have to try it for yourself. People may have had negative experiences and when they pass their experience onto you, you’re not going to want to try it because you’re expecting the same outcome. However, when you give online dating a shot, you have to forget what other people may have told you about it and go into it without any predetermined judgements. Be open-minded and give people a chance to prove that they are great people. There are millions of people that are just like you joining these sites. They may be curious and afraid, but they are tired of being disappointed by the people they meet in person. We bet that if you give it a shot, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the whole experience.