In our twenties, we often adopt this idea that everything about our lives must be perfect. We want the perfect job, the perfect living situation and of course, the perfect relationship. In an effort to achieve the latter at a more expeditious rate, many have turned to the internet to find love. In addition to sites that offer assistance in your dating endeavors (such as eHarmony, Christian Mingle and OkCupid) many have resorted to the use of mobile dating apps and forms of social media like Facebook hoping to acquire a significant other. But is this truly the best form of “dating”? Can you really find a lasting and meaningful relationship with someone through a computer screen? One thing that you must certainly consider when dating online is:

 Do you REALLY know that this person is who they claim to be?

At this point, whenever the topic of online dating is mentioned, many of us INSTANTLY think of MTV’s Catfish. For those of you living under a rock, the term “Catfish” refers to someone assuming the identity of another  through the use of social media and the creation of fake profiles and photographs belonging to another. This is often done to pursue deceptive online romances. We would like to think that it would be extremely difficult to be catfished but apparently, common sense isn’t all that common. As we’ve seen time and time again, people have seemingly continued to fall victim to those who aren’t being honest about their true identities. Meeting someone online does not have to necessarily end this way in every instance. There are a few tell-tale signs that you can use to determine whether  you’re talking to a super model or Jake from State Farm.

1) If you have NEVER met the individual in question in-person, perhaps you should attempt the use of  Skype, ooVoo, FaceTime or any other video message application that you can think of . If they refuse  or come up with endless excuses as to why they cannot comply with this request, there is good reason to believe that they are not truly who they say they are. Because we often think with our “First World” mentality, we often neglect the fact it is quite possible that some people do not have phones or computers with video messaging capabilities so this may not be something to consider. However, it is perfectly normal to be suspicious. Approach with caution.

2) Use photographs as an indicator. If something appears to be too good to be true it usually is. In the instance of online dating tools such as Google Images can become your best friend in determining whether or not you being sent false images. Another sign could be the lack of photographs that you are receiving from the person or lack of recent images on their profile. This should send an immediate red flag.

3) Ask Questions. If you are communicating with someone online with the mutual intent of becoming romantically involved, you should be perfectly comfortable with questioning things that don’t feel right. If you have a suspicion about the person’s true identity that you bring to their attention, take note of their reaction to attempt to gage how to proceed. If they become angry and refuse to answer your questions, there’s probably a good reason.

4) Pay attention to detail. It is important to be observant in every aspect of life. Not paying attention causes bad things to occur such as  car accidents, injuries from falling down stairs, and dogs to be kidnapped. Nobody wants to feel as though any of these things have occurred because they found out that the person they’ve been in love with doesn’t actually exist when they could’ve realized it long ago by paying attention.

5) Don’t be an idiot. Follow your intuition, there is a good chance that something will not feel right in the event that you are being catfished. Phone calls, text messages and instant messages are not nearly enough to maintain a relationship. One of the biggest indicators is the person’s willingness to meet you. Refusal or lack of interest in doing so should result in a lack of interest in continuing the “cybership” on your part.

What are your thoughts?

-Jordan

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