Week 11

Dear Baym,

            Nowadays, people are creating more and more relationships online than through face-to-face meetings.  I think it’s easier, and detrimental, due to the environment you are presenting yourself in. You are able to get away with more, elevating yourself to something you are really not. One would think if you are looking for a loved one online you would present yourself as honestly as possible, but people are afraid to get turned down and feel the need to make themselves better.

            Ellison’s article “Managing Impressions Online:  Self-Presentation Processes in the Online Dating Environment” brings up a fact that 86% of people feel that their online dating profiles give off the wrong impression. I feel in general, people have to remember a profile is there to advertise you and your world. Think about what kind of person and world makes up you and then advertise that world to the kind of person you want. Will this happen overnight? No, but it is a good guideline to follow. People just feel a sense of safety by presenting themselves as false versions of themselves to perhaps feel more confident. This feeling could last a while, until the eventual meeting in real life that would just be awkward for everyone involved. I see online dating just filled with problems. For example in a situation like that, as humans we use our faces and vocal patterns to apologize to, console, and appease those nearby who are uneasy. That element's missing online, and combined with the anonymity provided by the Internet makes for something bad.