I'm sure you've just been happening to be flipping through the television channels on any given day sometime during the morning hours and caught a glimpse of Oprah's latest special entitled "Beware of Chatroom Stalkers" or something to that effect. Maybe you decided to watch for a few minutes just to see "what those sickos on the internet are up to now," as my mother often has. You probably witnessed some poor 13-year old girl sobbing about how she was taken advantage of by some guy she dated on the internet and then decided to meet. "I thought I knew," she sobs. "I just had no idea what a bad person he really is. He seemed so nice on the computer..." The fact of the matter is that, had she been smart, she could have avoided that situation entirely by arranging to bring a friend with her and/or meet this guy in a very public place where nothing like that could have transpired. In all actuality, internet relationships can be very, successful and in some cases they even lead to marriage and children. Many times, these talk shows tend only to report about the internet horror stories rather than the success stories.
Online dating has its plusses. Talking to someone extensively over a computer gives you a chance to get to know the
person on a very intimate level. This, in turn, allows you to form a valid opinion of the person without physical appearance ever being a factor. They know nothing of what you look like aside from what you've told them or any pictures they've seen. By the time you and your friend think you know each other well enough to meet, chances are you've already formed an everlasting friendship, if nothing else. You're already very comfortable with the person, as they know many personal secrets about you, and therefore you're not as self-conscious as you would be with a total stranger. If you're suddenly surrounded with people you don't know, you feel pressed to behave a certain way so as not to make a bad impression. But since someone you've talked to online for a long period of time already knows how you are and how you react to certain situations, there's no reason to feel shy.
Everyone needs someone to whom they can truthfully speak and with whom they can share important information. In some cases, people just don't feel like they fit in where there are, or they don't have any friends close enough in whom to confide or with whom they have anything in common. I know I don't know many people at Twin Falls High School that I would consider a close friend. Sometimes, though, things happen about which you have to talk to someone. Not everyone is comfortable with speaking face-to-face with someone they may or may not know about their innermost thoughts and fe
All papers and essays are for research and reference purposes only!
Copyright 2002-2009
Direct Essays , LLC. All Rights Reserved. DMCA Webmasters make $$$$