After reading Bell’s piece on construction of identity online, I wanted to write a piece about online dating websites. Online dating has become very popular and in 2004 was considered the highest grossing internet industry other than pornography. Why is internet dating so popular? According to Bell, people have the ability to leave their insecurities at the door and either create a completely new persona or reveal truths about themselves they feel they cannot do in person.
The internet allows for freedom. My roommate, who is an attractive, young woman, always had issues with confidence. She did not like talking to men in person and found that she would “freeze” up when confronted with one. She had all the great qualities men were looking for, but never seemed to make the initiative to date a man. One night we were sitting on the computer and she decided to reveal to me that she had paid for a Match.com profile. We checked out the profile and I was amazed; she seemed like a totally different woman! She had many dates (online) and was surprisingly able to talk to them and share information she had never been comfortable sharing with people in person.
Another reason online identities are useful is because they enable you to be your true self. For example, I come from a very small town where everyone knows each other. My best friend had went away to college and came out about being a lesbian, but she didn’t want to tell anyone and she was embarrassed to date. Coming from a small town she thought that no one would understand her and she would be outcasted. Online, she was able to be honest with herself and be truthful about her sexuality. The internet allowed her and gave her the confidence to connect with other females. This is such a positive experience because it gave her the opportunity and the power to create her true persona.
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