The online dating realm is a revolution for society at large just like social media networks like Facebook were when they first appeared. In fact, online dating owes the majority of its success to the creation of online social networking. The ability to date online has revolutionized the way people all over the world meet, communicate and even find a suitable romantic partner. Services like Tinder, Bumble, OkCupid, Match.com, and many others have enormous user bases and are making huge profits as a result. The online dating industry is extremely successful and is a big market that many folks enjoy.
The number of online dating users in the United States alone has grown from around 28 million in 2017 to around 50 million at present. By 2024, statistical research estimates that this figure is going to increase to 54 million in 2024. In this multi-billion dollar market, thousands of app-makers are competing for attention, and demand for dating apps is rising in key areas such as North America and the Asia Pacific. Service segments such as social, adult, and niche dating as well as matchmaking are all on the rise in the quickly diversifying market. People are increasingly paying for dating app services, as well as earning money from these services.
Online dating also has a very tangible dark side, one that is filled with risks and dangers, and it is extremely important to be safe while dating online. What does this mean though? Well, online dating involves a couple of things i.e., using your internet browser, your personal internet connection, and personal details that involve your personal life. Immediately, one can recognize that any one of these factors represents danger and risk both when taken into account individually, and in a combination.
For these reasons, it is important to understand what online dating is, and how to stay safe when dating online.
What is Online Dating?
It’s not like online dating hasn’t been around before large social media networks, ultra-high-speed mobile internet access, high-tech smartphones, and cloud computing technology. People have been benefitting from the internet for romantic purposes since the inception of the internet i.e. ever since one person could send another person a message via the internet. It is the nature of human interaction.
Today’s online dating is a different animal, though. Technology has digitally transformed life, and of course, online dating too. The paradigm is much broader now. Apps are everywhere, ultra-high-speed internet means uploading heavy media files is no problem even on the go, and cloud server technology means that one company can host hundreds of millions of members. The ability to select a romantic partner by swiping left or right in Tinder’s case, or by adding filters to a user’s liking is now possible. Artificial intelligence systems can even match people nowadays. It is also possible to instantly communicate with a matched person, wherever they are in the world.
Why is Online Dating Risky and Dangerous?
The answer to this is multi-pronged. Cybersecurity risks, privacy risks, and real-world risks resulting from these scenarios are the risks and dangers associated with online dating. Yes, online dating is extremely effective and is here to stay, just like something as simple and taken for granted as email is, but a lackadaisical approach to one’s cybersecurity, privacy, and simple common sense is a surefire formula to draw risk and danger to oneself when dating online.
Primarily, ill-intentioned people thrive in the online dating realm and are constantly looking for victims to extort, trick, or even harm. Secondly, most people hardly pay attention to how they configure their online dating privacy settings in the app or software that they use. Finally, most people lack common sense when it comes to online dating i.e., by oversharing personal information about themselves which can lead to catastrophe.
Failure to stay cyber secure, private, and apply common sense when using the internet and online dating platforms puts users at risk of; identity theft, financial theft, emotional damage, and even physical harm.
How to Stay Safe While Dating Online
Staying safe while dating online means benefitting from cybersecurity (online security tools), internet safety best practices, and, once again, applying common safety and privacy sense. There are a few basics that need to be covered to vastly improve online dating safety.
First of all, the problem needs to be approached from the source and that is two things; the internet connection and common sense. Securing the internet connection should be done with the use of a VPN or Virtual Private Network to ensure anonymity and encryption. Then, maximum care should be taken to not open emails from unknown senders known as phishing scams. Passwords should never be shared with others online, and this goes for financial account information or social security information. Of course, a verified and trusted dating app should be preferred over products from little-known software publishers.
Common sense, of course, is the big one. No amount of cybersecurity tools will protect a user from data sabotage, emotional damage, or physical harm if the online dating user interacts with the wrong people when dating online. For this, there are ways to block such users and report them to the dating app itself, as well as to authorities.
