Safety First

After a fair share with online dating apps, I can honestly say that there are so many dangers that can occur. More people are on board with modern dating because of how convenient it is to meet people without actually going out. Besides, rejection isn’t so bad after all, that is if it isn’t face to face. After conducting a survey, it is clear that a fair share of both men and women from ages 18 to 23 agreed that online dating apps can be made safer for users. This is especially important because people now rely on dating apps as a way of finding a significant other, casual dating, or hookups. Modern dating is far from a traditional dating scene because people are constantly meeting up with strangers.

This can be extremely dangerous for many people if they are new and are not careful with who they meet up with. Most people usually go to their date’s house instead of meeting in a busy or public area. People who do this may face dangerous problems and will put themselves in a vulnerable situation. This brings up a question of why online dating apps should improve their safety features or not. Online dating should be made safer for users to reduce sexual harassment risks, potentially reduce catfishing, and limit scams to create a better online dating community because younger generations are leaning towards modern dating.

Sexual Harassment in Modern Dating

Sexual harassment through online dating apps are not rare, this gives a negative reputation for dating sites because these apps do not regulate conversations; therefore, dating apps should improve their safety regulations. Of course people can report a person; however, this doesn’t stop the person from creating more profiles which will result in more harassment. According to an article called, “Online Dating Apps Have A Major Problem With Sexual Harassment — But Solutions Must Start offline” by Teodora Pasca discussed promoting safe romantic interactions within the online dating. She stated:
It’s common for women on dating apps to receive unsolicited sexual advances from male users. A 2016 Consumers’ Research study found that 57 percent of female respondents, compared to only 21 percent of men, reported feeling harassed on the dating apps they used. (1)

That is to say that women are more prone to feeling harassed on dating apps at an alarming 57% and 21% of men feeling harassed on dating apps. These statistics cannot go unnoticed because young teenagers are using these apps to meeting online suitors. Sexual harassment can be a very serious offense, so online dating apps should regulate and monitor unsolicited photos, commonly known as nudes, to ensure a positive experience for other users. The digital age can surely be convenient but it also comes with a price, which may include several harassment allegations.

According to an article called, “You Could Be flirting On Dating Apps With Paid Impersonators,” by Chloe Rose Stuart-Ullin speaks upon digital dating services. She states, “But as e-romance hits an all-time high, our daily dose of rejection, harassment, and heartbreak creeps upward, too.” Online dating has its advantage to meet new people but it also seems inevitable for creeps and sexual offenders easy access to vulnerable people to take advantage of. Dating apps surely encourage and allow an option to block or report a user who is lacking netiquette; however, these users will ultimately create another account. This is why online dating apps should improve their safety features on the app.

There’s many fish in the sea, Catfish should belong in the sea!

Catfish is a term known throughout modern dating, everyone can be a victim and it can be devastating when you are the victim, giving all of the more reasons for dating apps to improve their safety regulations. Catfishing is when a person who creates a fake digital profile, usually for fraudulent and malicious intent. According to an article called, “The Ugly Truth About Online Dating” by Ryan Anderson discusses issues people face when they sacrifice love for convenience in digital dating. He explains, “A study of over 1,000 online daters in the US and UK conducted by global research agency Opinion Matters founds some very interesting statistics. A total of 53% of US participants admitted to having lied in their online dating profile” (1). Over 53% of online users have lied about themselves in their dating profile. These lies are a tactic used by both men and women in the United States and the United Kingdom. This is not surprising, considering people want to be more appealing, but this causes issues because people may fall for someone who is completely fabricating their identity.

This brings up another issue that has been circulating on Youtube when YouTube personality Shane Dawson interviews his best friend Brittani Taylor about her catfish experience. in the YouTube documentary, “Investigating Conspiracies With Shane Dawson,” uploaded by YouTuber Shane Dawson on February 11, 2019, Taylor explains how she met her ex-husband on a dating app, and years later she finds out that he has been lying about his identity. He mentally and physically abused her when she decided to file a divorce. This is just one of the many cases of catfishing that occurs from online dating. Dating apps are very aware that these problems are occurring; yet, they have not created a system to officially ban all catfishers to make online dating more enjoyable and safer.

Scams! Scams and more SCAMS

More problems arise in online dating as it becomes more popular, this gives scammers an opportunity to take advantage of vulnerable victims who are trying to look for their soulmates. People are losing money due to false personality, and dating apps still have no regulations that could trace the scammers down. Scammers will start as a catfish, but furthering their persona stooping low to fraudulent. In an article called, “In Online Dating, Extortion’ and Scams” by Kate Murphy, writes about dating websites and its flaws due to scams. Murphy reports: It’s common for victims to become money mules where they are unwittingly helping facilitate other crimes,” Mr. Baker said. “There have been prosecutions of victims who kept receiving and sending money even when they were firmly told they were working for crooks. (1)
Consequently, these victims are usually far too deep when they are being scammed. What scammers have almost perfected is the way they scam people for money. They usually fabricate a story making victims who feel lonely a desire for a companion, This connection makes the victim feel vulnerable and well, blinded by love. Scammers are aware that vulnerable people will feel hunger and thirst for love so their judgment can be clouded. This will make people who are being scammed less likely to question the motives of their online suitors.

This can be extremely frustrating for friends and family members because they are watching the victim continuously creating emotional and financial damage to themselves. According to the article called, “Happy Valentine’s Day! Online Dating Scams Cost Americans $143 Million” written by Niraj Chokshi discusses how Americans are being scammed for millions of dollars. He provided a statistic, “The total loss has more than quadrupled since 2015 when Americans reported losing $33 million to such scams.” to restate since 2015 there have been reports of Americans losing millions of dollars to romance scams and it has quadrupled in 2018. Not many people are aware of the consequences may cause to people who are a victim of fraud. This can cause an emotional toll and financial stress afterward. Dating apps must monitor fraud issues that are occurring throughout their app to ensure people are not abusing the app for deceptive intent.

The Argument

While some scholars argue that people who meet online successfully marry their match is the case, actually, quite the opposite is true. According to the opinion piece called “How to Make Online Dating Work,” Hannah Lee states, “And Internet dating isn’t just about casual hookups. According to the University of Chicago psychologist John T. Cacioppo, more than one-third of couples who married in the United States from 2005 to 2012 met online.” While it is extremely impressive that more than one-third of couples who marry actually met online, it still does not explain the failed relationships through dating apps.

One of the more convincing arguments on the topic comes from Zoralis Perez, who argues in her article, “Your Online dating App Could Be The Door To a New Kind of Sexual Harassment” about the harassment people deal with on a daily basis on dating apps. She writes:The harassment can take many forms: guys who attempt to start a conversation by telling you that they’d like to [verb] your [noun] or put their [noun] in your [noun]; guys who get angry after you forget to (or choose not to) reply to their messages and proceed to verbally abuse you… (1) What Perez is essentially saying is men, in particular, will usually initiate a conversation, in the case that the conversation doesn’t go their way, they will act with verbal abuse and harassment. Many people are entitled and modern dating usually starts out like this, if the person does not make it prevalent on their profile that they are looking for something serious. This continues to be a problem I noticed on dating apps as well. This is the type of behavior dating apps should ban on their apps. This will not only give their app a bad reputation, but it also defeats the purpose of the app.

Time for change, here is how:

It is clear that online dating apps should take preventive measures and update their safety features on the app. This is a problem because many people face issues such as harassment, catfishing, and scams in the app on a daily basis. These problems can create dangerous situations for younger teenagers who are using dating apps. Some of the ways dating apps can create a safer environment for e-romance users are monitoring abusive language, doing background checks on users, and have them use their social security number so that they can not lie about their identity. Sure reporting and blocking these people may help; however, there are more effective ways for these issues to stop if dating apps decide to take these solutions into consideration.

Works Cited

Anderson, Ryan. “The Ugly Truth About Online Dating.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 2016, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-mating-game/201609/the-ugly-truth-about-online-dating.

Ansari, Aziz, and Eric Klinenberg. “How to Make Online Dating Work.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 June 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/06/14/opinion/sunday/how-to-make-online-dating-work.html.

Chokshi, Niraj. “Happy Valentine’s Day! Online Dating Scams Cost Americans $143 Million.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 Feb. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/business/ftc-online-romance-scams.html.

Dawson, Shane. “Conspiracy Theories with Shane Dawson.” YouTube, YouTube, 30 Jan. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHLBaOASC74.

Murphy, Kate. “In Online Dating, ‘Sextortion’ and Scams.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 15 Jan. 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/sunday-review/in-online-dating-sextortion-and-scams.html.

Pérez, Zoralis. “Your Online Dating App Could Be The Door To A New Kind Of Sexual Harassment.” Technology — Technology, Cultura Colectiva, 17 Mar. 2019, culturacolectiva.com/technology/online-dating-harassment-women.

pasca, teodora. “This Magazine.” This Magazine → Online Dating Apps Have a Major Problem with Sexual Harassment-but Solutions Must Start Offline, 2018, this.org/2018/09/27/online-dating-apps-have-a-major-problem-with-sexual-harassment-but-solutions-must-start-offline/.

Stuart-Ulin, Chloe Rose. “You Could Be Flirting on Dating Apps with Paid Impersonators.” Quartz, Quartz, 4 May 2018, qz.com/1247382/online-dating-is-so-awful-that-people-are-paying-virtual-dating-assistants-to-impersonate-them/.

I decided to spread information about the most problematic online dating problem called catfish. I wanted to alert people about catfish issues that occurs on dating apps. Anyone can be a victim of catifish so I decided to post an instagram picture of a flyer that gives informations about this issue. I realize that catfishing is a common issue people are dealing with on dating apps so I created an informational flyer in hopes that it may reach other users or people who are interested in online dating. I hope this information teaches people how to spot and avoid a catfish! Happy swiping!

Now that I understand the structure of the course, I would read the prompt because I struggle to write my thesis. I made sure that my thesis outlines my next posts, include topic sentences, and make sure that i’m not subjective for the upcoming series of posts on a debatable issue. I think that the hybrid nature of the course refreshing and challenging. I appreciated how the course was designed; however, it can be overwhelming with how much writing we did in the class. Something that worked well were the email reminders, and It also helped that we discussed the assignments beforehand. Something that I think could help make the course function more effectively is a more descriptive explanation of the essay prompts. I would recommend this course to other students if they are great at time management or want to learn more about time management because it helped me.

Post 1

My first post is called “The Problems People Face with Online Dating Apps” and the revisions I did includes: Changing some awkward sentences and constructions and fixed my grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. I also added more catchy headings and topic sentences that relates directly to the main idea and made sure there were bolded keywords and shorter paragraphs.

Post 2

My second post is called “They Love Me, They Love Me Not. It’s a SCAM!” and the revisions I did for this post includes: Focusing on my analysis by analyzing my quotes better. I focused on how the rhetorical appeal is working instead of trying to explain the author’s argument. I also bolded more key words and included topic sentences to make my writing more cohesive and easier for the readers to understand.

Post 3

My third post is called “The Love For Internet Credibility” and the revisions I made for this post includes revising my thesis because it was too broad before and I need to give the readers an idea of where i’ll be going in the following paragraphs. I also included topic sentences that state the supporting points and made revisions to the avoidable grammar, spelling and punctuation errors. I also fixed sentences that were wordy and confusing.

Post 4

My fourth post is called “Discovering the Ugly Truth About Online Dating” and the revisions I made to this post includes revising my thesis because it didn’t answer the prompt to essay 4 before. I also made sure my paragraphs illustrate the sub points and analysing how the writer made my ideas on the topic evolve or challenged my thinking. In my conclusion I discussed how this new understanding will affect the way you go about your research- going forward.

Post 5

My fifth Post is called “Post 5: Online Dating Survey” and the revisions made to this post includes adding topic sentences to my paragraphs to my writing flows better. I also explained the graphs I included to my posts to support my question I am trying to figure out in post five. I also explained how this survey helped answer the question I developed about my topic.

Purpose

I was on my bed swiping away on the dating app called Tinder. With more than 400 matches I thought to myself: Do people who use online dating apps even meet up with their matches? After just a year of using online dating apps, I realized that I’ve only met up with 3 people. I wonder if it was just my luck or if everyone has the same experience as I do! I conducted a ten question survey, in which 25 people responded to these questions. The ten questions targeted people whose ages ranged from 18 to 24, questioning whether or not they meet up with their online matches. The motive behind this survey is to find an explanation about whether or not online dating app users meet up with their matches? And if not, why?

Surprising Findings

After reviewing the 25 respondents submission, I was shocked to find out that the majority of the people usually do not meet up with their matches. Not a single person meets up with all of the people that they match with. I learned that people usually do not meet up with their matches because they either feel unsafe or because their matches do not respond to them. This survey has taught me that online dating is harder than it seems to be because people do not take dating apps seriously or put no effort in trying.

Where is Chemistry?

As it turns out, looks aren’t everything! This is not rocket science and it doesn’t take a genius to come to this conclusion either! The majority of the time, people who do get a response from their match claims that there is no chemistry besides the physical attraction. According to my survey in the image above, more than half the responses say that they have no chemistry with their matches because the conversation often leads to ghosting. As a result of the lack of connection, the possibilities of meeting up become slimmer. In the Washington Post article called, “5 reasons people message on dating apps but never meet up” by Lane Moore discusses how texting boring conversations leads to a waste of time. There is also a consensus that people struggle with chemistry in my survey. Nobody on online dating apps is looking for Penpals, and nobody wants their time to be wasted either.

Insecurity

Everyone deals with insecurities in their time. One of the questions I asked on my survey was “Do you feel insecure about the way you look?” This is a factor which helped me answer why people don’t usually meet up with their match. One of the reasons why I back down from meeting a match is because I was lacking self-confidence. I wanted to know if this is a potential factor as to why people don’t usually meet up with their match. As can be seen in the images provided above, more than half of the people who use online dating apps said that they are self-conscious and it keeps them from meeting with their matches. It was most shocking to me that more guys than girls said that their insecurity prevents them from having the courage to go on a date. From the same article by Lane Moore, she explains insecurity through online dating further in depth. She shares that she’s insecure of her height and is afraid of what her match would think of her. This is prevalent to my question because even if it’s hard to admit, people usually don’t put themselves out into the dating world if they do not feel confident in themselves. The short scenario that Moore shares in her article are raw and this problem is very real with most people who use online dating.

Safety

Safety is one of the many reasons why people don’t meet with their matches on dating apps. Safety and trust are key to any relationship and is even more important when you plan on meeting with a complete stranger through a dating app. One of the questions I asked in my survey is, “Do you feel safe meeting up with people you match with in person? As a result, 36% of the people voted maybe, 32% voted no, and 32% voted yes. In retrospect, it seems like more than half of the people I surveyed felt uncertainty about their safety when meeting with a potential partner.

Conclusion

After conducting this survey, I realized that there are many factors that stunt people from meeting their match in person. People usually do not meet with their matches due to chemistry, insecurity, and safety. This taught me that not only does the app can improve for the users, and it also explained why people may be hesitant to meet up with their matches. This survey led me to another question: Should dating apps include features to improve safety for users? — something I didn’t think much of before.

Works Cited

“Match. Chat. Date.” Tinder, tinder.com/.

Moore, Lane. “5 Reasons People Message on Dating Apps but Never Meet Up.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 8 Oct. 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/news/soloish/wp/2018/10/08/5-reasons-people-message-on-dating-apps-but-never-meet-up/?utm_term=.c371119c5e7f.

The Story

Online dating is used by many people all over the world, but what happens if you find yourself as a victim of human trafficking while searching for love? In the YouTube documentary, “Investigating Conspiracies With Shane Dawson,” uploaded by YouTuber Shane Dawson on February 11, 2019, he included a segment interviewing his close friend, Brittani Taylor, about her Tinder experience gone wrong. This is a non-scholarly source; however, I believe it is very credible because, throughout Taylor’s story, Shane Dawson incorporates documents to prove her story as realistic. Brittani Taylor’s tells her story as a victim of domestic violence with her ex-husband, Milos Mihajlovic, who she previously met with through the dating app called Tinder. A few years into their relationship, Taylor beings to suspect her husband is lying about his identity. She reveals that she reported this incident to the police and believed that Milos Mihajlovic impregnated Taylor in means of trafficking her and her son.

Brittani Taylor bravely tells millions of people to be careful when using dating apps, because the people you meet may have bad intentions.
Dating apps have a bad reputation for hookups, rape, money scams and catfishing. While I knew people may have bad intentions on these online dating apps, I never took it as seriously as I should and I did not think twice about using it. I particularly picked Brittani Taylor’s story because she was a victim of all the wrong things that could go wrong with online dating, essentially, she was trapped in the relationship. Before I heard Brittani Taylor’s story, I met up with people through online dating apps without caution, after I heard her story, I am more cautious and aware with whom I meet with and where I decide to meet them. I used to think that online dating was an easier and faster way to meet people but not I realized that online dating can be very dangerous if I am not careful. Her story really deepened my thinking and understanding about the dangers that came along with online dating — something I hadn’t considered much before.

The Scary Truth

Brittani Taylor’s further my understanding of how dangerous online dating can me. Her online dating gone wrong story is the epitome of online dating and the dangers that come with it. One of the red flags she stated was how fast Milos Mihajlovic wanted to get into a relationship. She states in the interview, “On the first date he would talk about money frequently… I felt like he was trying to impress me with the money. Every couple of days after that he would want to see me… it was not normal. When I met him he had a really nice Lexus, he had money in the bank…within months he lost everything. Once Milos Mihajlovic successfully makes Brittani Taylor fall for him, he begins to take advantage of her title because she is a YouTuber who has a platform of 1.4 million followers. When she said this, my safety felt violated and I will admit I stopped using Tinder because of this. I realized how manipulative people can be, and what better way to manipulate someone than to get them to fall in love with you?

A New Mindset

I realized that online dating can be dangerous because people can be manipulated if they are blinded by love. Manipulation is dangerous especially when you are blinded by love, and that was one of Brittani Taylor’s problems as a result of her domestic relationship. Time after time again Brittani Taylor’s ex-husband torments her and lies about having money. She was in the most vulnerable stage in her life when she was impregnated. She depended on her husband at the time to take care of her but he became very abusive, but he turned himself into the victim. This is a case of domestic violence and by the time Taylor realized her ex-husband isn’t the guy he made himself out to be, it was too late to leave him because he built a family with him. This made me feel real empathy towards her because I know that once you are blinded by love, it’s hard to see that the significant other is treating them wrongfully. I never really considered this before I started online dating. It turns out that many people who use online dating meet people who usually die about their identity to get what they want.

Deepening my Analysis

Going forward with this new information, Taylor’s story is always on the back of my mind when I use online dating. This new information helped me understand that online dating apps need to make the app safer for users. This is important because millions of people are starting to use these dating sites, and there may be people who are naive and may lead to dangerous situations. While I am not going to completely stop using online dating, I will continue to be cautious and mindful with whom I meet. I now understand why people attest the idea of online dating; however, I still believe that it is a great way to meet people and have casual dates. If there is anything I take away from this new insight, it would be to always be cautious and not believe everything people tell you, especially when you meet them online because the odds are they may not be who they say they are.

Works Cited

Dawson, Shane, director. Investigating Conspiracies with Shane Dawson. YouTube,YouTube, 11 Feb. 2019.www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNuKpwX6Tz4&t=2359s.

The downfall of finding love through social media

There is no doubt that social media can affect one’s mental health, but what happens if online dating can have the same impact? In Kelly Burch article “How Online Dating Affects Mental Health” published on May 2018, she addresses how online dating may lead to one’s low self esteem, online addiction, and depression. She specified people who are involved in online dating struggles with body insecurities, rejection pain, and may have unhealthy obsession of finding a potential match. While this is an interesting topic, I was curious about how Kelly Burch’s credibility changed my perspective about her article.

The article I reviewed for its credibility, and it is concluded that her article is trustworthy and credible. I was able to find a credible website that documents in her “about” section she displays qualified credentials and contact information, displaying her self-evident author characteristics. Her views on the topic is objective rather than subjective, as a result shows the quality of a unbiased writer. Throughout the article, Burch provides various credible research, statistics, and studies about how online dating affects mental health done by experts. She also includes links and cites the evidence that supports her arguments which allows me to verify her research.

Is Kelly Burch Credible?

One of the key ways people can check if a source is credible is to check the author’s credentials. Kelly Burch is known for writing about addiction and mental health issues and how it affect families. With further research, Kelly Burch graduated with a journalism degree at Boston University’s College of Communication. She has been featured in notable websites such as The Washington Post, Parade, and Parents Magazine. She is also an editor of Renew Magazine mainly about those who are recovering from addiction. She has a website and blog called kellyburchcreative.com where she openly writes about personal experiences of mental health and addiction within her family. I conclude that Kelly Burch is more than qualified to write about this topic because she specializes in writing about addiction and mental health and is what she does for a living.

Credible Research

One could tell that the author of a specific article is credible if the author incorporates credible and working links. After analyzing and discovering the links and research provided by Kelly Burch, I believe that the article provided factual evidence and studies to prove that online dating may affect a person’s mental health. She uses studies on social habits of college aged people done by Jessica Strübel who has a PhD and teaches social-psychology behavior. I was able to find the links and verify that she was using a scholarly source. Burch’s proves that her article is credible because she uses studies done by people who specialize in psychology and provides authentic facts. Burch also includes other studies and statistics on how social rejection can activate brain activity which lead to physical pain and links a scientific and credible research paper. She concludes her article stating, people who have addictive behaviors with cellphones and the internet have a higher chance of developing depression and anxiety. Yet again, Burch does not fail to provide working links and substantial evidence and studies done by psychology professors.

The final assent

There are times where I’ve stumbled upon websites and articles and question whether it is credible or not. It can be difficult to determine and evaluate internet resources; however, the author’s credibility, purpose, accuracy, links, and currency are all the factors I look for when I search for a trustworthy site or article. “How Online Dating Affects Mental Health” by Kelly Burch is a prime example of a trustworthy and credible article because she has experience and credentials behind the topic. She provided various working links with recent and accurate studies and statistics done by experts. Burch did not share any of her opinion and stayed objective throughout the article. Overall, I would use this article to write a scholarly essay in the future.

Works Cited

Burch, Kelly. “How Online Dating Affects Mental Health.” The Fix, 31 May 2018, www.thefix.com/how-online-dating-affects-mental-health.

Love Is Expensive!

Online Dating is convenient and easy to use, but would you still use it if it means you may be scammed for hundreds, thousands, or maybe millions of dollars? In the New York Times article called “Happy Valentines Day! Online Dating Scams Cost Americans $163 Million” by Niraj Chokshi suggests that some people who use online dating apps could be a victim of money scammers. Chokshi explains that there are swindlers who are often fake or stolen identities target victims by building up a trust for money. The author also explains that these fraudsters use a variety of excuses in order to accomplish scamming money from victims.

Niraj Chokshi successfully informs his audience about the fraud scams that are going on in the online dating world through the rhetorical device logos, pathos, and ethos. Chokshi includes many statistics to showcase how much money people are being scammed through online dating, pathos to connect with the audience and share remorse for those who have fallen in love with a catfish, and finally, he utilizes the rhetorical device ethos to demonstrate his character and why his arguments and claims should be taken seriously.

No Money No Honey

As an amateur in the online dating world, I have come across many catfish and while I have never been scammed for money, I have heard stories where people have been. In the article, Niraj Chokshi includes the statistics of how much money scammers take from Americans who use online dating apps. Chokshi states “People ages 40 to 69 reported losing money to romance sams at the highest rates, but those 70 and older were hardest hit, suffering a median loss of $10,000. Scam Victims from the ages 20 to 29 reported a median loss of about $1,000 the agency said.” This is the author’s way of including logos in order to emphasize the amount of money scammers take from innocent people who are trying to find love. This statistic is alarming for those who use dating sites because it entails that anyone can be scammed for money. These statistics are meant to advise online dating app users to be caustious with who and how they share their money to. These high median loss will make the reader feel like they can not argue with factual data. Shockingly, these numbers are high and the public should be aware of these alarming numbers. This gives the reader a warning about the potential scams taking place in online dating apps.

Your Emotions Matters

The author, Niraj Chokshi also incorporates the appeals to pathos in his article to reach out to his audience who may have been scammed or worried about being scammed. This makes him more credible because he is sympathetic towards his readers and he also includes a description that many poeple have been a victim of. He shares, “They lead their targets on, sometimes for long periods building up trust only to abuse it.” This is an appeal to pathos because this audience will feel a sense of eeriness and possibly anger the person who they believe and gained feelings for, may be stringing them along just to abuse the relationship for money. When I read this, I personally felt triggered because while I haven’t been scammed for money, I have been wronged by people who I thought I trusted. Nobody wants to feel cheated, especially on the search for romance and love! This quote urges the readers to not be blinded by love, especially if the person they meet online only wants to talk about money.

Don’t Fear! Precaution is Here!

Chokshi showcases his credibility by using the appeals to ethos. He explains many ways to avoid fraudsters, and he wants to help Americans weed out the scammers in various ways. He states, “Users of online dating services should try to verify information provided by those they speak with online... And consider conducting reverse image searches of profile pictures to confirm that people aren’t using widely available photos or claiming to be someone they aren’t.” Chokshi includes free and easy options of what victims can do to avoid these scammers. This is a great way the author showcases his credibility because it shows that he cares about his audience and wants to help them avoid future problems they may face through online dating. If his audience is still not convinced online dating is terrible and they shouldn’t use it, the advice he shares to the audience is still helpful and shows that he is looking out for potential victims.

Niraj Chokshi successfully conveys his message across through the effectiveness of rhetorical devices logos, pathos, and ethos. He included such information in order to emphasize online dating has fraud users who are out to exploit people for money. However, Chokshi could have appealed to the rhetorical device, “Ethos” because it will create a bond with his intended audience on a deeper level. Overall, I believe his article is very informative about online dating scams.

Work Cited

Chokshi, Niraj. “Happy Valentine’s Day! Online Dating Scams Cost Americans $143 Million.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 Feb. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/business/ftc-online-romance-scams.html.

Why Dating Apps?

Online dating app is a quick and easy way to meet new people through the internet. Some people depend on online dating because it can be a good way to get yourself out there without stress; however, online dating can be a pain and confusing. I was interested in online dating apps because some of my friends and acquaintances were using it. I am someone who is shy and it is hard for me to approach someone and ask them on a date, so I thought I would give online dating apps a try! As an amateur who just started using online dating apps for 5 months, I have concluded that it is not always rainbows and sunshine. I met with 4 guys in the span of the five months through an app called Tinder, and they have all been awkward and left me in confusion and uncertainty. After reevaluating my tinder meetups, I realized that I could have put myself in dangerous situations by being so trusting. More people are exposed to online dating and is accepted by the majority. Online dating is used by millions of people all over the world, and I wanted to take it upon myself to explore the upsides and downsides of it. Like everything on the internet, there is always the good, the bad, and the ugly. While online dating websites and apps are convenient and easy to use, there are many problems people may face if they decide to use these apps.

Catfish

Meeting people through online dating apps could be challenging because you never really know who the person is, just how they present themselves in their 500 character limit biography and five best pictures of themselves. There is no surprise that there are many catfishes on these dating apps, which is why you must be careful and do your homework on the person you’re matched with. Alice Hines shares her tinder experience about a guy she matched with faking his persona in her story, “My Tinder Date Lied. Was I The Creep?” Hines writes, “Dating profiles can border on fiction. People edit away their pimples and crop out their exes, making it hard to know what’s real and what’s fantasy. It’s why you should research your date, and stalking is O.K. That’s what I learned hunched over my laptop at 2 a.m., 26 browser tabs deep.” Hines shares her story about the guy she met on tinder telling her lies about himself, and she came to this conclusion through research about him. To be safe, when you match with someone through an online dating app, you should do further investigation on the person to make sure they are really who they say they are. Not only does this make meeting your match a lot safer, but you will not be a victim of catfish! It is no surprise that the person you match with may look a little different in person than in the picture, but there is a difference about fabricating and stealing someone else’s picture and pretending to be someone they are not. This can be dangerous because if someone is faking their identity it probably means they have no good intentions in the first place. Once you make sure this person says who they are, fingers crossed that your relationship works out; however, not all dates will work out and you may be left confused with no answers.

Ghosting

People disappear without warning and it is hard to read people’s mind if there is a lack of communication in the relationship. One of the biggest problems in online dating culture is when you think the other person is invested or interested in you, and the next they are silent then delete you. You, my friend, have been ghosted. And if you have never been a victim of being ignored without any explanation then you may have been the ghoster. Some experts will argue that this is not the only way to let the person know you are interested in. Jazmine Hughes an editor for the New York Times Magazine gives different advice on how to reject an online match. In the article “How to Reject an Online Suitor” Hughes writes, “Make it genuine — something like “This has been a great conversation but …” or “You seem like a really cool person but …” can be effective. Avoid treacle, though, so as not to sow confusion about your intentions.” Keep it simple and be direct. The great thing about online dating is you can tell them about you genuinely feel with less anxiety, so be honest and communicate with your words. Be mature and do not take the easy way out by ghosting someone or leave them without any closure.

Be Cautious

These are just some of the common problems you may face when you join the online dating scene. However, there are more serious and dangerous instances that some people may experience. No doubt that online dating apps have its perks, but there are both minor and serious situations you could get yourself tangled in! So before you plan on using dating apps, make sure you are safe and do your research on the person before you agree to start a relationship with them!

Works Cited

Hines, Alice. “My Tinder Date Lied. Was I the Creep?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Oct. 2018, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/09/30/us/stalk-dates-online.html.

Hughes, Jazmine. “How to Reject an Online Suitor.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 7 Feb. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/02/07/magazine/how-to-reject-an-online-suitor.html?rref=collection%2Fbyline%2Fjazmine-hughes&action=click&contentCollection=undefined®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection.