"Only people who use online dating are looking to get laid or have social anxiety disorder." Excuse me?

Hah not true.

AGREED.

That grammar is brutal. Unless they really meant to imply that nobody except online daters has an interest in getting laid.

I don't have social anxiety disorder, I just dislike 99% of humanity.

where did you even hear this?

Sharon: Yes, my contempt is large tonight. But that's because of a rotten day and the heat.

Well, I'm not sure what it means, really.

Is he trying to say that people in an offline/real world don't want to get laid?

I think that quite the opposite true. And I'm sure that there's enough people out there who have a social anxiety disorder and don't use net at all.

it's true. if you have a vagina and weight less than 200 lbs then it's pretty easy to get a guy

@Heraldic - that wasn't the point. He was pretty much attempting to bad mouth internet daters as socially awkward and unable to get dates "in the real world."

However, I don't think it really teaches them how to interact with the rest of the population. Given my last date was with someone who has social anxiety - which I found out within the first three sentences of meeting him for sushi - I don't think the internet has worked in his favor. Thankfully - I'm so comforting to be around - he was admitting things he never tells people by the end of the night - like being bisexual. But, I don't think he was able to do that because he uses internet dating.

As far as anxious...

I'm not sure - being on the net all the time won't improve your social skills, but it might help you meet (or at least talk to) some people who you might not meet otherwise.

@Stereotest - I was defending internet dating as a viable source of finding a date, versus simply relying on meeting people in a bar, class, work, grocery store. I've had as much success meeting someone online as I have offline, so why would I limit myself to just one medium?

However, this fellow was pretty much trashing internet dating, attempting to lobby that the kind of people you find online are either - "defective" or are just looking for sex.

While I've met both of these individuals - I wouldn't say all people who utilize internet dating fall into either of these categories. I've met plenty of really awesome people - sure some ass holes, some guys just looking for sex, but I don't think you can discount internet dating anymore than meeting people in the bar. At least online - you're more likely to know if you have similar interests off the bat, versus just enjoying the same drinking establish/grocery store/just happening to take the same class.

Obviously real life EVENTUALLY comes into play. It's silly to think it doesn't, especially if you're going to go on a date and SOCIALIZE. And it's silly to think you can hide your weight - however contrary to popular belief - a lot of the profiles I've seen lately - make no attempt to hide being overweight or obese [and they shouldn't have to]. So, I don't think this whole being "duped" thing really shows up as much as maybe the perception that it does.

Sure there's crappy dating stories that go around from people meeting on the internet - but these crappy dating stories happen meeting people off the street too.

@Centrofluff

What about folks posting fake profiles?

Guys pretending to be girls and vice versa?

It may not always be easy to spot those...

I mean - there's probably a minor chance that they would be willing to meet you in person, if they're faking it, but still...

It have nothing do with the fact that its easy to post your pics and profile.

Its easy to do that, indeed, but its extra hard to get to "meeting" part and then impress someone, especially if you're average looking person/have low income/obese/overweight/short or anything that's seen as inappropriate by an opposite gender.

So I don't see how its necessarily different from meeting strangers on the street and asking them to talk to you - the only difference being the fact that you're behind your computer. Its not like computer/internet/dating service can magically change you into something that you're not and the whole anonymity issue is pretty much non-existent if you want to meet people in real life.

Did this person also call you a computer nerd for using the internet?

basically this guy lives for black and white generalizations. and is wrong. oh and is possibly an idiot.. but mostly because I'm angry at the world in general today.. but sorta because it's true.

@alisha - well, stereotypes exist because there is truth to them. . .

even in the 21st century, people still send out of date/fake pictures