Dating is not what it used to previously
be; dating nowadays is done more online rather than face to face. Today, people
use different websites like Match, EHarmony, Zoosk, and other websites because they
provide individuals with access to many more partners than they could find in
their daily lives. The websites mostly use online communication before meeting
in person, which allows for convenient interaction between both parties,
without an enormous time commitment. Online
dating makes it easy for some individuals to meet other people and find
dates, but at the same time allows for people to hide certain aspects of their
lives. Because the interactions are mostly completed online, deception can be
quite prevalent. Online
self-presentation occurs when people choose how to present themselves to
others and decide what to disclose about themselves, which allows some users to
lie about certain characteristics that they feel will make them appear more unattractive
to other users. It is common for some users to change physical aspects of
themselves in their profiles such as height, weight, physique, and age. Others
lie about who they really are and mislead users, which occurs on the TV show Catfish. People on this show meet and begin
to date others online, only to find out that sometimes it is a friend playing a
prank or an ex-boyfriend/girlfriend getting revenge. Online dating allows for
these misconceptions to occur almost too frequently and with ease, because of
the lack of personal contact, in addition to the overuse of online
communication.
The
internet also allows for some users to torment and harass other via different
websites. Online harassment, the
illegal use of the internet to communicate with, or intimidate, someone online
against their will, which includes making personal threats, permits online
users to attack other parties without almost any punishments or consequences. Online
harassment is a tremendous disadvantage to online communication because it
allows for some users to be verbally tormented and bullied. This is more common
in teenagers, when they take turns attacking each other verbally, and in some
cases, more than one person is involved, which allows for multiple kids to
harass and humiliate an individual. This is most commonly referred to as flaming, an often poorly defined notion
which generally describes any hostile or aggressive interaction online. This
unfortunate activity has become a huge factor in today’s online society. Because
of the harassment and negative comments that some users receive, some cases can
even end in the death of a victim. It is a hard problem to prevent and stop
because it is almost impossible to detect early, as most kids do not like to
admit that they are being bullied or harassed. Finding out who is bullying the
victim is not simple either, and there has been widespread controversy on what
the appropriate consequences for the suspected bully should be.
Online communities
have many positive results, such as making dating and communication with
friends much easier and accessible, but at the same time, it has negative
outcomes that can be hurtful and in some cases, deadly. Cyberstalking and
cyberbullying are huge issues that have spiraled out of control because users
do not understand the extent of their hurtful and insensitive comments that are
posted through online communication. Since finding the culprit responsible for
the cyber-attacks is a challenge in itself, it is very difficult to pin point
the attacks before they happen, and to deliver the necessary and adequate consequences.
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