People find mates in different ways. Some find love on the street. Some others find love in marketplaces. While some find love on the internet.
The internet has also helped people maintain relationships that began offline and moved online. Most people feel there is no difference between long-distance relationship and internet dating.
In a long-distance relationship, you might meet your partner offline and later be in different locations. As for internet dating, you solely meet your partner online.
In this post, the difference between long-distance relationship and internet dating will be explained.
What is a long-distance relationship?
This is a romantic affair between couples who live far away from each other, but make plans to meet. This could happen if you met your partner over the internet and they had to relocate for special reasons. Well, due to a lack of frequent face-to-face contact in LDRs, couples make use of other means to keep in touch.
In both internet dating and LDR, a lack of physical intimacy can lead to a gradual loss of interest in each other. Despite these challenges, if couples follow healthy rules, things would work out.
What is internet dating?
This is a term used to describe affairs on the web, otherwise known as online dating. In this case, websites are designed to connect with people outside or within the location. This is with the intent of starting a romantic relationship.
It works by signing up for your desired dating site. Then search and text people that match your wants. In this case, you will have to look for people near you with the intent of having a real-life date with them.
This is a way of meeting people if you don’t get to go out often. Once you text each other and see that you have things in common, you then move to ask to meet for a face-to-face hang out.
But sometimes, they can remain on social media for a long time without the hope of seeing each other soon. People in this situation will likely fall in love before they meet each other in person. They make use of video chat and calls to connect, then they begin to hang out in real life.
Difference between long-distance relationships and internet dating?
In an online affair, you meet your partner mainly through dating sites. And sometimes they can be either close to you or far from you. In this kind of dating, the pressure to meet each other is not much.
Both parties are used to showing love over the internet.
While in an LDR dating situation, you might meet this person offline, but they relocated. This would now make you continue dating them from a far distance. Although LDRs can start off as we mentioned, the truth is most online affairs end up as LDRs.
So internet dating is a way of meeting people who live far away or close to us. Even if these dating apps are advanced, the chance of falling in love with someone in your location is slim.
The fact is, users tend to be drawn to someone a bit farther from them. This is why online dating is usually the bedrock of most distance relationships.
The main difference between the two is, in far-away dating, you can meet your partner anywhere. Either via a romance site or face-to-face. But in virtual dating, you meet your partner only through the internet.
Also in online relationships, there might be little or no pressure to get to see each other. Participants can even choose to get married before meeting each other in real life. In an LDR that started offline, they might need to make plans to move together.
What is e-dating?
This is almost the same thing as an internet relationship. You meet people through the same romance website to be more than friends with them. In this case, there is no intention of meeting in person.
Unlike online dating where you have plans to meet or relocate. These people meet and date online. They might even get married through a virtual wedding.
The main reason for this is that not everyone would be able to get a spouse if they decided to find one in real life. They might be judged based on their physicality or other attributes.
But in e-dating, it is usually about a connection. Couples don’t always care about physical looks. They fall in love because they enjoy texting or talking to each other over the phone.
For this reason, it stays that way. The downside of this form of relationship is that it is usually to the detriment of one party. The tendency of meeting players and scammers is very high here.
Advantages of internet dating
For people who don’t know how or are too shy to start a conversation, using romance websites has been a very good option. You can exchange texts until you are comfortable enough to meet them in person.
There are sites that also have millions of users, and you have varieties to choose from. This makes finding a match a bit easier. If you text them first and your thoughts don’t align with theirs, you can search for other users.
In addition, this platform uses your details to match you with users with similar interests. So meeting people with the same interests is made easy.
When it comes to the cost of going on several dates, online platforms have made that easier. All you need is enough calls and chats and you’ll fall head over heels for each other.
Also, you tend to follow safety precautions before meeting anyone. Like you have to text them till you feel safe enough.
Challenges faced when one is dating online
Even as technology advances, fake and dangerous people are all over dating sites. This is why cases of people losing money and also falling for people who end up hurting them are common. The fact that pictures can be edited could make the person you are texting appear different in real life.
Also, people can lie about themselves. This means that when you meet them in person, it feels like you are with someone else.
Most times, this type of relationship ends up as long distance. Because the tendency of meeting someone close to you is slim.
And since you don’t know them in person, your partner can decide to ghost you and you would never hear from them. This is something that can haunt you for life. Unlike someone you met face to face, who you can actually know where to find again.
Furthermore, even if it can be done at your convenience, it can become very time-consuming. You always have to spend time to find or connect with someone you have found.
And if there is a time difference, it means you have to inconvenience each other.
Does internet dating work?
Yes, it does. It is the same thing as meeting someone in person only that it has different downsides. A lot of couples might have their life partners from romance sites or through networking.
In truth, I met all my romantic partners over the internet. And my relationship went well and ended up like every normal relationship.
According to studies, 60% of people have good relationships with people they met online.
A Pew research done in 2019, reveals that out of 30% of Americans that used online dating, about 12% got married. This was on the rise from the last research done in 2013.
Pros of being in a long-distance relationship
Some of the good things about dating someone far away is that it gives you time to evaluate yourself. And also have the time to get your own things done.
When you don’t get to see them often, it means you have to develop an unmonitored loyalty. And this act alone will make your love stronger.
Also, the benefit is that you also learn to trash things out over the phone. The fact that that’s the only option you have means you have to learn to always be expressive.
Lastly, dating someone far away means you have to develop concrete trust in them. Without trust, the relationship might not last. And when you can develop this kind of trust even if you don’t get to see them, then your relationship would be lovely.
Not being able to see your partner teaches you how not to jump to conclusions, and how to be more understanding.
Challenges faced in a long-distance relationship
While dating someone far away, you might begin to lose interest because of a lack of intimacy. Like they say, out of sight can gradually lead to out of mind.
And even if you decide to go over, that is going to cost a lot. And if both couples are not financially buoyant, they might suffer from this.
Furthermore, lack of trust is very common in Ldrs. This is one factor that ruins it. It gets to a point when one or both parties begin to get the feeling of not being faithful. This leads to jealousy and insecurities.
This is while communication is very vital here. But it may not be that possible because both parties are busy during the day and at night they have to sleep. This is even difficult if there is a difference in time or working shifts.
A slight misunderstanding can lead to major issues. When you talk over the phone it is void of facial expressions.
So a simple joke could appear wrong to the other person. And this can develop several conflicts between you two that could make it all tiring.
Do long-distance relationships work?
Yes, it does. In most cases, it could even lead to a longer affair if handled properly. You learn to love each other without depending on physical affection.
If there is an equal effort from the parties involved, it could turn out well. Although at some point, your partner can feel less personal to you. This is due to a void of physical intimacy.
But if both of you communicate and set goals to see each other often, all this can be solved. You can in turn have a long-lasting and healthy relationship.
Internet dating safety tips
If you are texting someone over the web, resist the urge to spill out personal information. Although scammers might tend to say things about them first, be reserved at first.
And when it comes to texting online, never ignore your guts. If it says something is too good to be true, then you should know not to fall for it.
Request to see them over a video call before you can meet them. Red flags like love bombing or requesting financial help should not be taken for granted.
Summary
The main difference between LDRs and e-dating is that the former can start on the web or face-to-face. But the latter mainly starts from the internet. The truth is they have more in common instead.
Going through this post must have opened your eyes to the difference between long-distance relationship and internet dating.
LDRs are partly internet dating because they rely mostly on it for communication. Virtual relationships usually end up as long-distance relationships.
Leave a comment