Is Online Dating a New Avenue for Cheating?

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Online dating is the reflection of the society we live in today. And in some unspecified manner, it is beginning to take over the conventional ways of people meeting each other for friendships, relationship or love.

According to an online dating statistics, the increase in users had incredibly surged up to 20 million a month.  It is gradually losing its initial stigma, such that people who are involved in it are no longer embarrassed to admit using these sites.

There have been reports of over 100 thousand couples a year who have tied the knots through relationships developed on diverse dating sites.  Airline, a UK TV series show, has showcased several passengers travelling to meet their online partners for the first time. There was a particular episode of a man meeting his intending bride for the first time, with her new born baby (from another relationship).  It was reported that after maintaining a relationship online, the couples decided to meet and to move in together.

With the success rate gradually clouding its former shaky foundation, it is safe to assume that the future of online dating is bright.

However, while looking on the bright side, there are other factors to consider. A female friend of mine, after series of disappointing and unsuccessful dates, finally met a man she started a relationship with. But few months down the line, she couldn’t help being paranoid every time he is away but his online profile shows him visible online and particularly when he doesn’t make any effort to chat with her. She was of the opinion that he was busy chatting with some other women. Her suspicion was confirmed few weeks later when his behaviour suddenly changed towards her, which eventually led to their breakup.

While this is a common situation, there have been a number of cases on The Jeremy Kyle show where couples have complained about their partners spending most of their family time on internet chatting with strangers, thereby prompting them to request for a lie detector test. One woman gave her husband an ultimatum on Trisha Goddard’s show because she caught him chatting with another woman on the internet.

In as much as all these cases are isolated and much publicized, they are mirror images of what is happening in the society today. And one cannot stop to ponder if online dating is now a new way of cheating.