Conclusion

Online dating has both negative and positive experiences. The most common issues associated with online dating include the negative stigma attached with it, and the misrepresentation of oneself in online dating profiles. While online dating is very different from traditional dating in many ways, both are similar in the sense of getting to know someone and the risks/fears associated with it. It is easier to deceive online, but does not stop people from being deceiving when dating traditionally. Online dating success is attributed more to the specific site that is used, but young adults in southeastern Michigan tend to use two or more sites to find "matches" or people they are interested in. Many young adults also use social networking sites, rather than online dating sites, to meet people. Both good and bad relationships have been a result of online dating experiences, just like traditional dating experiences.

Online dating should be looked at as a supplemental way to meet people in an ever-changing society. As people get busier with work, school, and families, it becomes harder to meet people in traditional ways. Online dating is not for everyone, but many have experienced success with it. Those who have experienced success have also experienced problems, which can also be said about traditional dating. As our culture and society continues to change, online dating will become more and more common and accepted, and will be utilized in more ways than we can imagine. 

This project was a very small snapshot of ideas and concepts associated with online dating. There is still much research to be done on online dating and the people who chose to utilize it. I had hoped to find many positive experiences of online dating in order to prove that it is an acceptable way to meet people, both romantically and for fun. My results, however, were more about different experiences, making it easier to draw the conclusion that online dating is not as different from traditional dating as some may think. Dating is a part (one of the most important parts) of human lives; there will be good and bad involved in the process of finding a mate for years to come, no matter what channel is used to find people.

Online dating has become so popular that many blogs have been created to talk about experiences with meeting people online. One blog I came across while researching for this project is mildredgoesfishing. If you have ever experienced online dating, you can definitely relate to some of the things she posts and experiences. Reading blogs on experiences is also a great way for online dating to make its way into a more socially acceptable light, because they put the bad (and the good) experiences out there, so those interested in trying online dating will know what to expect and what to look for.