Much like Fear of Online Shopping or Fear of Online Gaming, Fear of Online Dating is almost entirely dependent on having access to the Internet. Why? Because that’s where the vast majority of online things take place. Fact. However, unlike those other two Fears, this one can create a result that can end in wedding bells and happiness for you! Of course, it can also end in a journey of self-discovery where you realize the person you fell in love with online is actually a middle aged, divorced father of 7 living in western Missouri and not Laura, the recent college grad who enjoys painting and yoga who you thought was just a little shy and didn’t want to talk on the phone. Unless you’re into that kind of thing, it’s a little alarming.
Head Over Heels for Fear of Online Dating
Fear of Online Dating has almost no connection to its outdated cousin of actually meeting someone in real life which by now has been reduced to a figment of our imagination. Yes, gone are the days where we could ask a coworker out or make small talk with someone else in line while waiting to speak to a bank teller. Now it’s just a matter of hoping someone swipes right on your nearly topless selfie profile picture. Instead of first taking a deep breath and asking the person you have had a crush on ever since you first started watching them from the bushes outside their window, you can now get to know every aspect of someone’s life because they haven’t adjusted their social media privacy settings yet.
Many people seek the comfort of online dating because they feel there is less of a sting from being shut down by someone if you aren’t even in the same room or city as they are. You can still enjoy having your sexually suggestive advances or recycled go-to lines be rejected or ignored thanks to the ‘delete’ button that comes standard with all online dating profiles. It’s innovations like this that make me proud to live in a society where shallow, materialist views are the backbone of any healthy relationship.
Breaking Up With Your Fear of Online Dating
If you get really desperate for the warming touch of a cyber penpal, there is always the Internet equivalent of the Classified’s section of a newspaper. Just remember one thing: People don’t read newspapers. And those who still do read newspapers probably aren’t using the Internet. What you are left with are the people who couldn’t be bothered to create a legitimate profile picture on a dating website and instead elected to bypass the legitimacy of a dating website to seek someone with the same lofty expectations for meeting someone online in what can only be described as the start of every Horror movie ever.
If I haven’t sold you on the idea already, give online dating a try for yourself! You might just be pleasantly terrified with what you find.