Whether students are looking for love or company, online dating has become a popular option for many hopeful singles. According to Pew Research, 15 percent of all U.S. adults report that they have used online dating sites or mobile dating apps. Unfortunately, not all these users find what they are looking for.
Two weeks ago a U of M student reported that he was sexually assaulted by a 30-year-old woman he invited to his Park Avenue residence, according to a police report by officer Tina Crowe. The two met online, according to the report.
The Chicago Tribune reported that there is “no way to know what percentage of sexual assaults is linked to online dating,” but as millions access dating sites and apps daily, “these Internet services offer a widening universe in which those intent on violence can prowl.”
Those who use the dating app Tinder spend an average of 77 minutes per day on the app, according to The Huffington Post, compared to Instagram users spending 21 minutes per day on the photo-sharing platform.
Some students at the U of M do not see a problem with online dating as a whole, but do believe that those who date online should be cautious.
“I use Craigslist, so I always like to meet in public places - places where I’m not alone,” Albany Merriweather, an 18-year-old biological science major, said. “Not that you don’t trust them, but that you don’t put yourself in that situation.”
Other students disagree with the whole concept of the dating sites. Isaac O. Weston is an architecture and interior design major that does not use dating websites or apps.
“I’m a Christian - so I guess it could be a platform to like seek people out,” Weston said. “This day in age we become way less social - way less interactive, and people sit there next to each other and text.”
The 21-year-old has heard that the dating climate was much different ages ago.
“My mom talks towards how a guy would ask her out when they were standing in line at a pizza place ‘cause they just got to talking,” Weston said. “So if you go and you just talk to people and get to know them rather than just seek them out, relationships will just fall on your lap.”
Joshua Lord is an 18-year-old criminal justice major who said that some Tinder experiences could be positive ones.
“My ex’s older sister started dating a dude from Tinder and that was, from what I understand, a pretty good relationship,” Lord said. “You can turn basically anything into something bad, like Pokémon Go. People started getting attacked and mugged from stuff like that. I mean anyone can turn anything bad. You have to find a balance.”
