Online dating can be controversial. Many people who are used to traditional dating and meeting people in real life are understandably skeptical about online dating. The concept of finding a romantic connection with someone you’ve never met in person carries all kinds of uncertainties. Is the person you’re dealing with even real? Are they genuine about seeking a relationship? Is online dating real dating?
What constitutes ‘real dating’?
Dating is generally viewed as the process of getting to know someone else romantically. This may involve meeting up for ‘dates’ e.g. going for coffee, a walk in the park, going to the cinema with another person. Over time, the two people will get to know each other better and see whether they are compatible for a romantic relationship.
Why do people question “is online dating real dating?”
Online dating in the early stages involves sending messages via a dating app or website in order to gain basic information about the other person. This process of messaging can last anything from days to months, or even years in some cases.
Deciding when to meet in real life depends on several factors:
- Availability of the two people involved
- The distance between the two of you
- How keen the two of you are to meet
Related: When To Delete A Dating App After Meeting Someone: 6 Questions To Ask Yourself
If you’ve never met in person, then it’s debatable as to whether your relationship is ‘real dating’
If two people who met through online dating are regularly communicating via messaging (or even facetime and phone calls) but have not yet met in person, it’s debatable as to whether this is considered ‘real dating.’ Sometimes, people have been communicating for a prolonged period of time but have been unable to meet due to geographical constraints e.g. living far away or even in different countries. They may have established that they are ‘dating’ despite having never met.
In this kind of situation where two people are regularly communicating and view each other romantically but have never met, it’s really up to the individuals involved as to whether they consider their relationship is ‘real dating.’ This does involve putting trust into the other person and believing that they are who they say they are.
Those who are in an online-only relationship for a long period of time may consider themselves to be in an official relationship. These types of relationships can even carry a degree of exclusivity similarly to being boyfriend and girlfriend. This certainly involves a degree of risk. The other person may turn out to be different to who you thought they were. Furthermore, you simply don’t know if your online relationship will translate to a real-life relationship.
Related: Online Dating: When to Become Exclusive
Online dating is real dating once the relationship has moved away from being an online-only relationship
Most people would agree that if you’ve met someone online but have been on real life dates and continue to do so, this is considered ‘real dating.’ After all, you are spending time together, getting to know each other and sharing experiences together. You are essentially going through the same process of getting to know someone romantically as two people who met in more traditional ways.
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