People usually choose to use the Internet as a dating resource because it’s convenient. Unfortunately, because people can be whomever they choose to be online, people often choose not to be themselves. And, as a result, young adults naively put themselves in dangerous situations.
A date is never something worth dying for. Today’s college students grew up with technology, so it’s only normal for us to cling to mobile devices and social media. Plus, messaging apps, such as Kik, make it easy to communicate with people through our cellphones without ever having to give them our cellphone numbers.
With that said, most college students see nothing wrong with making friends over the Internet. The truth is, many times, people converse with others over the Internet and never see them in person, and that’s OK. It’s called the “World Wide Web” for a reason. But it’s when one makes the decision to tell people personal information and meet them in person that the situation becomes dangerous.
Things aren’t always as easygoing as “Catfish” displays. Sometimes, a person will meet an online chat buddy in person and, not only is the buddy completely not what he or she thought this person would be like, but he or she also has nefarious intentions.
Take the case of Alejandro Garcia, who created a fake female Facebook account to lure Andres Chavez to meet him and then beat him to death. Or what about the case of the Minnesota woman who was dating an online boyfriend after divorcing an abusive husband, only to find out her new boyfriend was her ex-husband who was stalking her? These are two extreme examples, and not every person on the Internet will have harmful intentions, but one never knows what another’s true intentions are.
The idea of talking to and meeting people online is taken too lightly in the college community. As college students, we are constantly putting or sharing our private information online. Apps like Instagram have switched from a way to share cool photos to an online dating service hosted by Mr. Direct Message, himself. And, whether it is out of comfort, stupidity, or a mixture of both, we need to stop being so naïve. College students definitely need to tread cautiously. Let’s be honest, you can’t trust half of the people you meet in person, so why would you trust someone talking to you from a computer screen
Dating online is always a dangerous game, so being cautious and aware is essential. Not everyone has others’ best interests at heart, so people have to protect themselves. Everyone should always be on their guard and know who they are talking to because it’s not worth being catfished, or worse.
