I’ve heard both sides of the argument. I have friends who have done it, but no matter what they tell me, I could never do it.

PROS

• meet a lot people in a short amount of time
• meet people you would ordinarily never just run in to
• skip over the people who seem uninteresting (and unattractive)

CONS

• cost. As if dating wasn’t expensive enough, you gotta pay for the dating website
• get catfished. Whether its to the extent of making up a fake girlfriend or just lying about age, weight, interests, etc, you can never really know how truthful the other person is being.
• lack of human, face-to-face, interaction. May not seem like a big deal in the beginning to some, but first impressions are crucial. You can’t skip over that.

I could keep laundry-listing reasons why online dating doesn’t work, but I won’t, because that’s boring. Here’s what I think. Online dating is a cool tool. I think if you are looking for a shallow, hook-up/one night stand sort of a deal, Tinder can be great. But if you expect to be in an exclusive relationship without ever meeting the other party, you are nuts. Seriously, you’re crazy and should be thrown in a mental institution. Why would you hold yourself back from experiencing the real pleasures (and pains) of real relationships? As nice as Skype is (if your girlfriend/boyfriend is real), it doesn’t replace a good blowjob.

PS: That MTV Catfish TV show guy is apparently coming to URI